October 21, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 381 
been improved a little by liming, the addition of ashes, road scrapings, &c.), 
into the bottom of the trench, taking out the two bottom spits for burning. So 
thoroughly clayey was the greater part of the soil moved, that the men had to 
dip their tools in a pail of water at every lift, to make the next spadeful slip off 
the metal. On this site the fire was commenced. Wood which was only fit for 
charring or firewood, and which is generally plentiful enough about most 
gentlemen’s places, was used. In that locality coal was costly, and not so 
effective in this case as wood ; the latter also affording in burning a desirable 
quantity of potash. The site for the fire being ready, a little stack of wood was 
formed 5 feet in diameter at the base, tapering cone like to the height of 5 feet, 
beginning with a few dry faggots in the middle, and finishing with stronger 
junks of wood round the outside. All round this stack of wood a coating of the 
clay was laid to the depth of about 1 foot. It was found best to pack it on in 
lumps as it was turned out of the -crencli. When this was done the wood was 
set fire to at the centre, and long ere the wood was all consumed the clay caught 
fire and burned freely. As soon as the first layer was nearly burned through 
another layer was added all round, which in its turn soon burned through also. 
The fire was then broken down with a strong iron-handled hoe, for the double 
purpose of adding more wood to quicken the fire and enlarging the basis of 
operations. After the fire was thus set agoing the wood was of necessity laid 
horizontally over the burning heap, putting the strongest pieces of wood next 
the burning mass, and finishing off the layer with the smallest, to prevent the 
clay from lying too closely to the wood and obstructing the draught necessary 
to combustion. In the meantime trenches -were opened at the extremities of 
the quarter, and the clay taken out, as already described in making the site for 
the fire, and forwarded to the fire, there being the solid undisturbed surface to 
wheel it over, and the distance lessened as tire fire became larger and required 
more feeding. But to return to the fire. When it was again found necessary 
to break it down for the purpose of extending the base and increasing its 
capacity for consuming the clay, another layer of wood was added, and then a 
layer of clay over the surface, and all round the outside of the heap. After 
this, as the layer of clay was burned through, another was packed on all over 
and round without any wood, and so on with two or three layers, till it became 
necessary to enlarge the base of the fire, by drawing it down from the top, then 
more wood was added ; and from the great power which the fire attains it is 
necessary to have plenty of clay and men at hand to cover over the wood quickly, 
or it would be consumed without doing much good ; and so this process was 
continued till the necessary quantity was burned. I have frequently had three 
great fires going at a time, on to the tops of which I have wheeled layers of clay 
to the thickness of 3 feet and more at a time. When the fire became powerful 
it formed a solid pile of fire, which very soon worked its way through thick 
and successive layers of clay, transforming what was once an insoluble, wet, 
tenacious paste, into a heap of material greatly altered in its mechanical pro¬ 
perties, and with a great capacity for the absorption of ammonia, besides 
being mixed with charred wood and potash. As soon as the heap was sufficiently 
cool to be moved it was wheeled back over the surface of the quarter and 
regularly spread, and the large lumps broken up. On the surface of all was 
wheeled a garden rubbish heap, rotten leaves, road scrapings, dung, and other 
decayed vegetable matter that could be obtained. A trench was then opened 
at the end of the quarter-, and the whole was turned over and mixed the same as 
is done with a compost heap, to the depth of the original clay, which was forked 
up as well as it would allow at the bottom of each trench. This formed a 
staple on which almost any crop that could be put on it in the way of vegetables 
grew- with such a luxuriance as I have never seen equalled either before or since. 
I have seen Brussels Sprouts over 4 feet in height studded with hard sprouts, 
more like a rope of Onions than anything else. Peas, Cauliflowers, &c., were 
amazingly fine crops. One quarter which I burned in 1854 had the finest crop of 
Carrots that could be desired, and to have attempted such a crop on it previous 
to its being passed through the fiery ordeal would have been in vain.” 
Tokay Wine ( Customer j.—Apply to any leading wine merchant. Tokay 
is a district of Hungary. The wine is the produce of various kinds of Grape, 
but the soil is peculiar, being of volcanic origin. The best vintage is not at 
Tokay, but in a neighbouring district called Taliya, and was celebrated as long 
since as the sixteenth century. 
Names of Fruits (G. Picker). —1, Wyken Pippin, very fine; 2, Unripe, 
perhaps the Old Man Apple; 3. Gravenstein; 4, Winter Peach ; 5, Edinburgh 
Cluster; G. Striped Beefing, richly coloured. {Mrs. R. W. II.) —The Pear is 
Nouveau Poiteau. 
Names of Plants {J. C., Clonmel ).—The specimen you sent was so much 
withered that its name could not be determined with certainty, but it resembles 
Silene conica. {No Name). —1, Adiantum concinnum; 2, Pteris serrulata cris- 
tata; 3, Pteris serrulata ; 4, Rondeletia speciosa. 
POULTRY, PIGEON, AND BEE CHRONICLE. 
ROTATION FOR CROPPING- LIGHT SOILS. 
(Continued from page 3 GO.) 
After having noticed the principal rotations on light chalk 
soils advocated and practised by the most experienced farmers, 
we will now describe in a similar manner the most valuable rota¬ 
tions adapted for the sandy and light soils, commonly called the 
Bagshot sand, much of which was formerly in heath and wastes, 
used chiefly for the rearing of Grouse, and warrens for the breed¬ 
ing and sale of Rabbits. Very extensive farms in different 
counties have been reclaimed and brought into cultivation, and 
claiming in many instances the credit of being some of the best 
farmed land in the kingdom as regards the soil. These sandy 
soils are, owing to their position as well as variations of the sub¬ 
soil, capable of being cropped in various ways, for in those cases 
where the surface is sharp sand the subsoil is often somewhat 
stronger, and calculated to support vegetation of a more valuable 
kind than the poorer soils, which consist of sand, resting also on 
a subsoil of sand. Again, when sandy land is situated near 
populous towns the growth of cereals may to some extent be dis¬ 
regarded ; particular attention can be given to the production of 
vegetables, which may be sold as food for the people, or when an 
over-supply takes place they may be used as food for cattle in 
the ordinary way. This is one of the privileges or advantages 
which the farmer has over the market gardener. 
As a farming rotation of cropping for sandy land we will again 
take a farm of 450 acres for illustrating the rotation we recom¬ 
mend. Taking first a farm situated away from towns and in a 
purely agricultural district, where the object is to keep a large 
flock of sheep, in order that as full crops of cereals, &c., may be 
grown as the soil is capable of yielding, our first rotation will 
apply chiefly to farms in a district where the climate is favour¬ 
able, such as are frequently found in the eastern, southern, and 
some midland districts of the kingdom. For sandy land under 
such circumstances we recommend—in fact, we know of a farm 
under capital management set out in a seven-course rotation as 
follows :—1st year, Swedes, Turnips, Mangold, &c. ; 2nd year, 
Barley ; 3rd year, Turnips ; 4th year, Wheat; 5th year, Clovers 
and Grass ; 6th year, old Clover and Grass lea, Turnips, &c. ; 
7th, Wheat. Upon setting out the 450 acres in courses we will 
take 30 acres and lay down 10 acres of Lucerne for permanency, 
and 20 acres in Giant Saintfoin with Perennial Rye Grass, &c., 
so that as the Saintfoin after some years may die away the land 
may be left in permanent pasture. We have, then, 420 acres on 
which to rest our rotation, and under a seven-course it will give 
60 acres as the lain for certain crops ; commencing with 60 acres 
of root crops prepared by autumn fallow, 10 acres sown with 
Mangolds, 10 acres of White or Red Intermediate Carrots, 20 acres 
of Swedes, and 10 acres of early Greystone Turnips, to be fed 
upon the land either as a whole or in part with sheep, or part by 
bullocks and horses, &c., at the farmstead. This land after being 
fed off by sheep will be made close and productive by the 
tread of the animals, and will not only have afforded excellent 
lying for sheep in the winter and early spring, but will with an 
allowance of oilcake spent on the land, be as productive for 
cereal crops as the soil will allow of. The second course will be 
60 acres of Barley, which may all be sown early, for nothing but 
fi-ost and excessive rains can defer the seed time on such land. 
The third course will be 60 acres of roots, preceded by green 
crops, Rye, Yetches, and Trifolium, all fed off by sheep in spring, 
then seeded for early Turnips in succession, to be fed off by sheep 
in the autumn, which feeding, as a preparation for Wheat, may 
extend to the first week in December, as this soil will not only 
carry the stock in any weather, but may also be sown with Wheat 
in almost any weather except frost. The land after two dressings 
or foldings by sheep will then be in a fertile state. The fourth 
course will be Wheat (60 acres), which will be sown in divisions 
as fast as the roots are cleared off, with such varieties as may be 
suitable to the time of sowiDg, the soil, and climate of the farm. 
Fifth course to be Clover and Grasses, 60 acres. All these will be 
seeded in the Wheat in the first dry weather in the spring, and 
harrowed-in with the chain harrow, and rolled with a heavy roller ; 
30 acres will be seeded with Red Clover, Alsike, and Giant Saint¬ 
foin mixed ; the other 30 acres to be seeded with Dutch Suck¬ 
ling and Hop Clover as it is called, with Perennial Rye Grass and 
Italian Rye Grass mixed. The sixth course will be 60 acres of 
old lea ; 30 acres of Clover lea, to be cut twice for hay ; the remain¬ 
ing 30 acres to be fed in the spring and ploughed and pressed for 
Turnips, to be fed off by sheep eating cake, &c. After the Clover 
