11 
or in fact anything unfavourable to plant growth, and if 
the plant loses heart it loses all; it most surely will fail 
under attack. But make it healthy, and in the full 
sense of the word “ hearty,” and there is good hope that 
enough of the crop to afford a paying return will keep 
its head above the amount of attack of ordinary seasons. 
The great principle of cultivation brought forward by 
our agriculturists is so to prepare the soil beforehand as 
to ensure a fine tilth and good' seed-bed, with such small 
amount of disturbance of the soil at the time of sowing 
as may preserve the surface moisture in it, and thus, 
with the addition of some artificial manure, afford con¬ 
ditions favourable for rapid germination and good growth. 
In many parts of the Midland and South of England, 
and especially on strong land, autumn cultivation is 
considered the best means of warding off Fly attack in 
the following season. Where land is well ploughed in 
the autumn, and laid as fallow during the winter (what 
is sometimes known as stale fallow), the frosted surface 
mellows down, and is in a good friable state, so as not to 
require further ploughing in spring. The application of 
the scarifiers should be enough, and thus the young 
sprouting w-eeds will be cleared and the soil stirred 
sufficiently, whilst by the use of this implement (in 
whichever of its various forms of cultivator, scuffier, &c., 
it may he most suitable), instead of the plough we avoid 
throwing the ground open to the drying winds and 
baking suns that often occur during the spring. Also 
we secure the wintered mould on the surface, which 
forms an excellent seed-bed, and is believed, by various 
good agriculturists, to be much less attractive to the Fly 
than freshly turned earth ; also, we preserve the stores 
of moisture (which have accumulated during the winter) 
undisturbed and ready for use below the surface. This 
is a very important consideration, for, as pointed out by 
various writers, if these stores are dried it takes much 
heavier and more constant rain than we can reckon on 
in spring or early summer, to lay up a similar supply 
for the young crop. 
