THE CULTIVATOR. 
73 
In some countries it i 3 customary to burn the stubble upon the held; 
this method, which is only an imperfect mode of burning, is productive of 
cood in two ways; in the first place, it purifies the soil Horn insects, and 
from the seeds of noxious plants; and in the second place, it forms a thin 
layer of carbon, which by its extreme division is capable of being easily 
absorbed by plants. I believe that even the heat occasioned by the com¬ 
bustion of the stubble and herbs covering the soil, may produce salutary 
changes in the combinations of the conslituent parts ... , 
The results which I obtained from mixing calcined clay with the sand 
constituting the soil upon a portion of the plains of Sablon3, near Pans, 
has led me to think, that whenever lands of this nature are cultivated, it 
may be useful to amend them by the same process; in order to do this, 
clav may be formed into balls by moistening it with water enough to re¬ 
duce it to a paste; these balls, after having been calcined in a lime kiln, 
or the oven of a pottery, may be pounded, and the fragments mixed with 
the soil. Calcareous, siliceous, and sandy soils may be in this way much 
improved. 
OFFICES OF WATER. 
Of all the agents which may be employed as amendments, there is none 
of which the action is more powerful than that of water: not only does it 
contribute to the nourishment of the plant by its decomposition, which 
deposites in the vessels its elementary principles; but it acts still farther 
by promoting the fermentation of manures; and by conveying into the ve¬ 
getable organs the juices and salts. -Independently of these properties, 
water dilutes the sap, which has become thickened in the body of the 
plant, and facilitates its circulation; and likewise furnishes abundantly the 
means of transpiration. The soil is also softened by water, and thus ren¬ 
dered more permeable by the roots, and by atmospheric air which supplies 
them with the moisture it contains. 
All the excess of water absorbed by .plants, is thrown off by transpira¬ 
tion; and this transpiration is always more or less abundant in proportion 
to the quantity imbibed. 
IRRIGATION. 
The custom of inundating meadows during winter, preserves them from 
the effects of hard frosts. Davy ascertained the temperature beneath the 
bed of ice covering a meadow, and above it: beneath the ice his thermo¬ 
meter stood at 43 J ; above the ice at 29°. Everyone must have observed, 
that when the surface of a meadow is only partially covered by water dur¬ 
ing the winter, the herbage upon that part which is left dry, is withered 
and nearly dead, whilst the rest retains its green hue, and continues to 
grow. . 
The character of water used for irrigation, is a thing of some conse¬ 
quence; that of a living stream is the best, especially if it have, by a long 
course, become impregnated with a good quantity of atmospheric air. 
Though water is the most active agent in vegetation, it is nevertheless 
necessary to apply it with reserve and caution: the worst effects are pro¬ 
duced by irrigating land so often as to keep the soil constantly in the state 
of a liquid paste. The first evil arising from such a course is that of in¬ 
creasing the size of the plants to the injury of all their other qualities; for 
in such a case the fibres of plants become loose; the texture soft and wa¬ 
tery; the flowers are inodorous, and the fruits without firmness, tas e, or 
perfume. The second is, that all useful plants which do not require much 
water, give place to rushes and flags which change and ruin the soil: in 
this case the same evil is produced which we seek to destroy in wet lands 
bv the use of soot, gravel, ashes, and other absorbing and saline bodies. 
' Frequent irrigations are not injurious to poor, light, sandy, or calcareous 
soils, which have much depth; but they are injurious to rich, compact, 
argillaceous soils, for in such the noxious plants of which I have just spo¬ 
ken, readily establish themselves. 
To ascertain the most favorable times for irrigation, it is necessary to 
consult the state of the soil, and of the plants: when the earth is deprived 
of moisture to such a depth that the plants languish, and begin to lose 
their leaves, the favorable moment has arrived for Catering them. If al¬ 
lowed to remain in this state too long, they cease to grow, and hasten to 
terminate their vegetation by the production of fruits, and flowers; but 
these are always feeble, poor, and incomplete, when produced under such 
circumstances. 
FALLOWING. 
The custom of allowing lands to he fallow after having produced seve¬ 
ral harvests, has descended from the remotest antiquity, and is still fol¬ 
lowed in the greatest part of Europe. It has been thought necessary, that 
land after having been exhausted by two or three successive crops should 
be allowed to rest, or to remain in fallow during one or two years, in order 
that it might have time to recover its strength, or productive virtue The 
necessity for rest, imposed by nature upon all animals after continued ac¬ 
tion, undoubtedly gave rise to this practice; and though the supposed ana 
logy between living bodies, and those that are not so, has no rational 
foundation, yet it has confirmed the custom of fallowing which arose from 
it 
However, I am far from believing that this was the only cause for the 
adoption of the method of which I am speaking; I believe that it may be 
attributed to the want of hands for performing the labor of constant culti¬ 
vation; or to the impossibility of nourishing a sufficient number of animals 
to furnish the necessary manures. 
The extent to which the cultivation of lands should be carried, ought 
always to be in proportion to the population to be fed by its products. It 
is to be presumed, that when the globe had fewer inhabitants, the settle¬ 
ments were made in those spots where the soil was most fertile, and that 
when these were exhausted, they removed elsewhere; but when proper¬ 
ty came to be divided and marked out, each cultivator confined his labors 
to such a portion of land as would supply his wants; so that when it wa3 
sufficient for him to cultivate one-qUarter, or one-third of his territory, he 
allowed the rest to remain untilled. 
Fallowing has, according to this view of the subject, arisen from neces¬ 
sity. We know with certainty that the crops in gardens surrounding 
dwellings may be multiplied and continued indefinitely, by means of till¬ 
ing and manuring; but the necessity for this is not felt, as long as the pro¬ 
duce is sufficient for consumption, and when the expense attending the 
means of procuring an increase beyond that, would be so much clear loss. 
In proportion as population has increased, lands have been cleared up, 
and cultivation extended and improved; so that production has always kept 
pace with consumption. As the wants of society permit fallowing less at 
this time than formerly, it has begun to disappear, especially where those 
wants are most pressing; and more particularly, when there is an assured 
prospect of an advantageous market for agricultural productions. 
Fallowing was necessary as long as grains only, all of which exhaust the 
soil, were cultivated; during the intervals of tilling the fields, a variety of 
herbs grew in them, which afforded food for animals, and the roots of 
which, when buried in the soil by the plough, furnished a great part of the 
necessary manure. But at this day, when we have succeeded in esta¬ 
blishing the cultivation of a great variety of roots and artificial grasses, the 
system of fallowing can be no longer supported by the shadow of a good 
reason. 
The scarcity of dung occasioned by the limited number of cattle that 
could be maintained upon a farm, caused the custom of fallowing to be 
continued; but the ease with which fodder may be cultivated furnishes 
the means of supporting an increased number of animals; these in their 
turn supply manure and labor; and the farmer is no longer under the ne¬ 
cessity of allowing his lands to lie fallow. 
ARTIFICIAL GRASS LANDS THE BASIS OF GOOD HUSBANDRY. 
Artificial grass lands ought now to be considered as forming the basis of 
agriculture; these furnish fodder, the fodder supports cattle, and the cat¬ 
tle furnish manure, labor, and all the means necessary to a thorough sys¬ 
tem of cultivation. 
The suppression of the practice of fallowing is then equally serviceable 
to the cultivator, who increases his productions without proportionally in¬ 
creasing his expenses, and so society, which derives from the same extent 
of soil a much greater quantity of food, and additional resources for supply¬ 
ing the work-shops of the manufacturer. 
ROTATION OF CROPS. 
A great advantage has arisen from the system of a rotation of crops, 
which has succeeded that of fallowing. By skilfully arranging a succes¬ 
sion of crops of grain, artificial fodder, leguminous plants, roots, &c. 
the eaithis enriched, instead of being impoverished; the ground is cleans¬ 
ed from weeds, and more abundant crops are obtained at a less expense. 
During those years when certain fodders, such as clover, sainfoin, and tre¬ 
foil, require no other care than that of harvesting them, the farmer can be¬ 
stow all his attention, manures, and the labor of his cattle, upon such other 
portions of his farm as may need amelioration; so that, instead of having 
one-third of his land lying as an unproductive fallow, it may he covered 
with herbage affording the finest food for cattle. The soil will be grow¬ 
ing richer, instead of poorer, and may be prepared for raising grain, with¬ 
out the addition of any manure. 
A BAD PRACTICE COMMENTED ON. 
What has contributed the most towards confining French agriculture to 
that state of mediocrity, from which neither the examples nor the writ¬ 
ings of many enlightened theoretical farmers have been able to raise it, is 
the passion for cultivating too large an extent of land, with limited powers 
as to its arrangement. Where all the land is sown without any portion of 
it being properly prepared, the ground is exhausted instead of being im¬ 
proved by cultivation. The farmer, who takes land upon lease, has no in¬ 
terest in endeavoring to make it better, because the shortness of the lease 
does not permit him to enjoy the fruit of his labor; he is forced to reap 
from the land all it will produce. 
Instead of including in his plans of cultivation a space of ground dispro- 
portioned to the means which are at his disposal, the intelligent farmer 
will at first occupy himself only with such a portion of his land as will be 
sufficient for his cattle, his manures, and his improvements; when this has 
been brought into a good state of cultivation, and-a regular succession of 
crops established upon it, he can carry his amendments over successive 
portions, till, in a few years, the whole soil may be brought to yield every 
thing which it is capable of producing. But it is only by long leases, that a 
farmer can be enabled to pursue a method so wise and so secure; and 
