718 
On  the  Fanning  of  Somerset. 
it  is  found  possible  to  grow  a white  and  green  crop  alternately. 
The  green  crops  are  tares,  clovers,  turnips,  and  mangold  : winter 
beans  are  sown  and  well  hoed,  with  coleseed,  sown  at  the  last 
time  of  hoeing,  and  eaten  after  the  beans  are  harvested.  The  roots 
are  all  drawn,  but  the  tops  both  of  the  turnips  and  mangolds  are 
partly  eaten  and  partly  trodden  in  by  the  sheep.  The  mangolds 
are  found  very  good  for  the  ewes  when  suckling  their  lambs,  and 
given  to  them  and  the  tegs  on  the  grass  land.  A great  deal  of 
good  dung  is  made  in  boxes,  and  is  found  richer  than  vard-dung. 
I saw  wheat  being  dibbled  at  6s.  or  7s.  per  acre  on  this  farm,  in 
October,  by  which  a great  deal  of  treading  was  saved. 
Mr.  Parkinson,  residing  near  Newark,  has  informed  me  that 
on  a strong  brick  clay,  red  or  yellow,  a combination  of  the  four- 
course  and  six-course  has  been  found  to  answer,  thus  : — 
1st  year,  fallow.  6th  year,  barley. 
2nd  year,  barley.  7th  year,  seeds. 
3rd  year,  clover.  8th  year,  seeds. 
4th  year,  wheat.  9th  year,  beans. 
5th  year,  fallow.  10th  year,  wheat. 
On  this  plan  about  half  the  fallow  land  is  sown  with  roots,  all  of 
which  must  be  drawn  off  in  the  autumn.  Bones  and  dung  are 
ploughed  into  the  land  while  dry  in  the  autumn  ; and  the  seed  is 
sown  with  a light  dressing  of  guano  or  burnt  rubbish  (charred, 
not  burned  red).  Swedes  are  grown  to  a weight  of  1 6 lbs.  in  a 
bulb,  where  they  used  not  to  be  thought  of.  Mr.  Parkinson  says, 
“ This  rotation  has  superseded  the  three-course  in  many  instances  ; 
the  working  expenses  are  less ; the  land  gets  more  rest,  carries 
more  stock,  and  makes  a quantity  of  excellent  manure.” 
The  farm  has  been  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Parkinson’s  family  for 
fifty  years,  and  always  farmed  for  profit.  The  land  is  well 
drained  ; but  subsoiling  is  found  to  be  of  no  use,  because  the 
land  is  stiff,  and  runs  together  after  one  year. 
Oolite  Sands. — To  the  south  and  east  of  the  lias  and  clay  soils 
lies  a soil  of  the  most  opposite  character,  the  rich  sandy  loam  on 
the  oolite. 
This  soil  first  appears  between  the  lias  and  the  greensand  on 
the  sides  of  the  hills  near  Chard.  It  then  extends  from  Ilininster 
to  Yeovil,  and  from  Yeovil  northwards  to  Castle  Cary  ; beyond 
which  point  it  appears  occasionally  in  narrow  strips  and  patches. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  greensand  and  chalk-hills,  and 
on  the  east  of  the  county  it  runs  into  the  clay  at  the  foot  of  the 
Dorsetshire  hills. 
There  is  arable  land  of  extraordinary  richness  and  value 
near  Ilininster  and  South  Petherton,*  letting  as  high  as  50 s. 
•'  In  South  Petherton,  Mr.  G.  Parsons  grew,  in  1841,  such  a crop  of  wheat  as  was 
never  before  known  even  there:  3 acres  yielded  30  quarters  of  wheat.  It  was  visited 
