415
Indeed a naked fallow should never be adopted, where the■soil is not so wet, as to prevent the turnips from being partlydrawn, and partly eaten on the ground during any part ofthe winter. The other crops usually considered as meliora-ting, namely pulse, cabbages, and potatoes, cannot be sub-stituted advantageously in place of fallow, even on light soils,because the tillage necessary for them is given at a period ofthe year too early to admit of effectually cleaning the land ofweeds. The grand advantage derivable from tallow, andwhich ought to be the invariable object of every judicious hus-bandman, is to keep his land free from weeds, which cannever be done on strong clays, or even on soils of a lighter de-scription which are incumbent upon clay, till, or other reten-tive subsoils, unless by means of a perfectly well wrought fal-low at proper intervals. On middle soils, or strong loams,having a good bottom, the repetition of the fallow process isless frequently necessary; as after having been once effectual-ly cleaned by a thoroughly well-wrought fallow, they maybe kept long clean by the alternation of drilled crops ofpulse, and in fertile condition by the judicious application ofmuck or other manures. The frequency with which the fal-low process ought to be repeated, must depend upon the con-sideration of a variety of circumstances, which can only beappreciated on the spot by the judgment of the cultivator;such as the state in which the soil is in regard to weeds, andthe power which the farmer possesses of applying manure.To conclude this branch of the discussion, the great advan-tage of fallow consists in cleaning the land from weeds, to en-able it to carry profitable crops of grain and cultivated gras-ses, which cannot possibly be secured on strong clays by anyother means. It is likewise essential in new, coarse, roughgrounds, for pulverising, mellowing, and drying the soil, andconverting the roots and other remains of vegetables intosoluble matter, as food for succeeding crops.