H U S B A N D II Y. 
The following courfe is followed at South Wallham: 
~i. Turnips. 2. Barley. 3. Seeds, one or two years. 
4. Wheat. 5. Barley or oats. 6. Peafe. 7. Wheat. The 
variation of the feeds is to prevent clover coming two 
rounds together, as the land here, as elfewhere, is fick 
of it. Upon a part, white clover trefoil, and ray, are fub- 
ilituted, and left two years ; about one-third of the wheat 
is on a two-years layer. If the clover be a good crop, the 
wheat is better than after the other feeds. The barley af¬ 
ter wheat (if that followed a two-year’s lay) is better than 
after turnips. But if the land is foul after the firft wheat, 
then turnips are fown. Sometimes peafe on a two-years 
lay, and then wheat. At Catfield, Mr. Young found a va¬ 
riation ; there the courfe is a flx-lhift hufbandry1. Tur¬ 
nips. 2. Barley. 3. Clover, &c. 4. Clover, &c. 5. Wheat. 
6. Barley. And Mr. Repton, at Oxnead, has been, from 
the year 1773, regularly in the fixth-flrift hufbandry of,— 
j. Turnips. 2. Barley. 3. Seeds-hay. 4. Seeds-ollond. 
5. Wheat. 6. Barley; which is common throughout the 
county. There are many other courfes, or modes of crop¬ 
ping, detailed by the ingenious fecretary; but it is unne- 
ceffary to notice more of them to the judicious practical 
farmer, whofe own obfervation and experience mull at 
laft direct him in the modes belt adapted to his own par¬ 
ticular farm; and in doing which the-foregoing exam¬ 
ples muft be found of extenfive utility. 
When, therefore, the arable land'is brought into a tho¬ 
rough ftate of amelioration, the feed might with confi¬ 
dence and fafety be put into the ground, and profitable 
crops will be fure to follow. The crops now moft gene¬ 
rally in life for harvefting, are Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, 
Beans, and Peafe. Of each of thefe, therefore/ we fhall 
briefly fpeak, as far as regards their management in the 
courfe of hufbandry ; but the natural hiftory, different 
fpecies and varieties, both foreign and domeftic, and ap¬ 
proved modes of cultivation at the prefent time, will be 
found under their generic names in this Encyclopaedia. 
Of WHEAT. 
This moft valuable fpecies of grain, “the staff of 
life," is fown with the greateft certainty of fuccefs where 
the land has received the. preparation of a complete lum- 
mer-fallowing; but it may neverthelefs be grown to ad¬ 
vantage after many different kinds of green-root and 
other crops. ■ In this way it may be fown after clover, 
tares, peafe, beans, turnips, potatoes, and many fimilar 
crops, according to the quality and ftate of the land. 
But in whatever method, or after whatever kind of crop, 
it be cultivated, the foil ftrould conftantly undergo th-it 
degree of preparation that may be fufficient to bring it 
into-a ftate of pulverization and mejlownefs; though this 
cannot be done in any cafe fo well as by fummer-fallow- 
ing. When a crop of wheat follows clover, the land fel- 
dom undergoes more than one ploughing, which is given 
immediately before the feed is fown. But as the grafs 
and weeds, in many cafes where this mode is adopted, are 
very apt to rife and injure the crops, it is better to fkim off" 
and turn the fward and root-weeds into the bottom of the 
furrow, where they are immediately covered with the loofe 
mould, to fucli a depth that little inconvenience will be 
fuftained from them, while the land is thus gendered ca¬ 
pable of being harrowed in a more perfect manner than 
where one ploughing only is employed. Betides, perhaps 
a better bed of mould is turned up in this way for the teed 
to vegetate in, provided the furrow is not made of too 
great a depth and breadth, and remain fome time before it 
be fown, which (hould conftantly be attended to by the 
farmer in preparing this fort of ground for wheat-crops. 
But it is the cuftom of fome places, where the land is of¬ 
ten continued for nearly two feafons in the ftate of clover, 
to break them up about the latter end of June in the fe- 
cond, giving them two, and fometimes three, ploughings. 
Where the Situation is favourable, and the weather turns 
out fuitable for reducing the foil to a proper ftate of tilth. 
539 
tliis may be an advantageous practice, as by fuch means 
great benefit may be obtained by cutting the grafs in the 
beginning of the feafon in which it is to be ploughed-up ; 
but, where circumftances of fo favourable a nature do not 
occur, fuch a method of preparation muft be lefs benefi¬ 
cial than that of giving only one ploughing. 
Wheat-crops fometimes lucceed thofe of the pea kind; 
but this is a practice that may probably be purfued with 
the hioft propriety and fuccefs in thofe diftrifts that are 
from the nature of their fituation fufliciently early to ad¬ 
mit of the land being fully cleaned and prepared by re¬ 
peated ploughing and harrowing after fuch crops have 
been removed, before the time arrives for lowing fuch 
grain. For, where they are fo late as only to allow of the 
land being prepared by one ploughing before the period 
of fowing, it is an extremely hazardous practice for wheat, 
and ftiould never be attempted. It is a better practice, 
where wheat is to be fown after either peafe, beans, or 
tares, to plough the land in a lhallow manner, and then 
harrow out the roots and weeds, and burn them on the 
ground ; the field being, after this, formed into proper 
ridges for the reception of the feed by a fecond ploughing. 
Wheat is occalionally cultivated after turnip-crops ; 
and may in many cafes be pradtifed to advantage on the 
heavier turnip-foils, efpecially where they have been kept 
clean from weeds, and fed off by Iheep at fuch early pe¬ 
riods as to admit of the ground being prepared by once 
ploughing in a light manner. The late crops on the 
lighter forts of land may be more properly managed by 
fowing them with fpring-wheat, or leaving them for bar¬ 
ley, for either of which they may be prepared by two or 
three lhallow ploughings. Spring-wheat in this mode of 
preparation .has, in fome cafes, been found nearly to ap¬ 
proach that of the autumnal fowing. Where the turnips 
cannot be confumed in-fufficient time for the land to be 
prepared fo as for the leed to be put in before December, 
it is the lafeft method-to let it remain to be fown in the 
fpring, as by fuch means there will be an opportunity of 
getting the ground into a proper ftate of preparation for 
the reception of the feed, which could not otherwile be 
the cafe. And under fuch circumftances, it is undoubt¬ 
edly the moft advantageous plan to employ that fort of 
wheat which is ufually known by the name of fpring- 
wheat, as from its early nature it is more adapted to be 
fown at fuch a feafon. 
Where this fort of crop is intended to be cultivated af¬ 
ter potatoes, which, as they have a great tendency to ligh¬ 
ten the foil, in a very great degree, as Well as to exhauft 
it, lhould never be the cafe on the lighter forts of land in 
backward fituations, or under any circumftances where a 
fufficient proportion of manure has hot been applied foV 
the potatoe-crops, one light ploughing, immediately be¬ 
fore the feed is put in, may be in moft cafes an adequate 
proportion ; as, where proper attention has been bellowed 
in the culture of fuch crops, the foil is generally left in a 
fufliciently clean condition. The caufe of wheat notfuc- 
ceeding well after potatoe-crops in many inftances is, that, 
befldes.the land being rendered too light and porous by 
the growth and cultivation that are requifite for them, 
the wheat is more expofed to the injurious attacks of the 
grub, earth-worm, and other infecls; and in fome ex¬ 
pofed fituations, from feed-time being too long protract¬ 
ed, the practice becomes obvioully improper. 
With regard to the belt time for fowing, there is little 
doubt but the earlier the feed can be committed to the 
foil in reafon, the greater chance the young plants will 
have of being well rooted before the frolls take place, and 
on which the welfare of the crop in a great meal.ure de¬ 
pends. Befides, the ftate of the land, and that of the fea¬ 
fon, is~ much more favourable for the procefs'of vegeta¬ 
tion when the crop is put in at an early period, than when 
it is delayed to a late one; the Hate of the weather in the 
latter cafe often admitting of only a very languid and, im¬ 
perfect growth until the fpring, by which tine crop muft 
he 
