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application of a portion of the red marl and gypsum bed. 
The addition of marl would not, however, give an increased 
facility to the depasturage of turnips by sheep, but a greater 
power of absorption of moisture, and hence less liability to 
be affected by drought in summer, and the production of 
greater quantity of wheat and permanent grasses. Marl 
would also afford alkalies. I know of no instance of 
its application, except at Stapleton park, by the late Mr. 
Hodgson : it, however, was applied, not to the thin 
limestone soils of that place, but upon the red marl and 
gypsum bed, in fact to the surface of the soil, to which it 
forms the sub-soil. The professed rotation of crops upon 
the whole of these soils is — 1. Turnips, 2. Barley, 3. Seeds, 
and 4. Wheat, and at this season of the year, one-fourth of 
the whole arable land of the whole country (permanent grass 
excepted) ought, therefore, to be in turnips. But it is evi- 
dent to any person passing over it, that this is not the case. 
There is no easy mode of ascertaining the exact quantity of 
turnips, but as a rude guess, I should say, that one-tenth or 
one-twelfth of the arable land is the utmost extent covered 
with that crop at the present time : so that one-sixth is in 
open fallow. There must, therefore, be a great waste of 
land over the country described ; for this extent of fallow 
cannot be required to subdue weeds, which we see by Sir 
Francis Wood's list are few and easily exterminated. Is it 
that the excrementitious matter from former crops remains, 
and requires putrefaction ? then caustic lime applied would 
effect this more speedily : or is it a want of the alkalies, 
which, locked up in undecomposed portions or fragments of 
the soil, want time for their liberation? then this object 
would be attained sooner by the addition (as manures) of 
those substances which contain in them alkalies, as wood- 
ashes, cow- dung, &c.: but some farmers say, the risk of the 
barley crop deters them from feeding off turnips from the 
c 
