42y
whether for hay, soiling, or pasture, and the richness of theland when again broken up for tillage, and during the re-mainder of the rotation till fallow becomes again necessary,there can be no doubt, of the propriety and economy of givingstrong land a complete fallow once in every rotation or courseof cropping.
If a fallow is judiciously and industriously conducted in themanner described, it may certainly carry repeated alternatecrops of grain and pulse, without any intervening naked fal-low, for a considerable period, perhaps for six or eight years;and when such land is to be fallowed a second time, it willrequire fewer ploughings and borrowings than stated as ne-cessary for foul land. Such extended aration, however, as ishere supposed, will generally require more manure than canbe supplied from the direct fund's of a farm ; it is only advisa-ble, therefore, near towns, where manure may be purchased,or where there is a full command of sea-weed. To preservethe beneficial effects of fallow on ordinary farm land, whichhas no opportunity of receiving manure beyond its own re-sources, it is certainly the best and most economical plan, tolay it down to grass with the crop immediately succeeding thetallow, and to take such successive crops of grain and pulseas its condition will allow, when broken up from ley, previ-ously to the next fallow.
In the neighbourhood of towns and large villages, wheremanure can be procured, and where potatoes can be grownto advantage, as that crop cannot bear the expence of longcarriage to market, soils of considerable consistency, and un-fit for turnips, are often planted with potatoes instead of na-ked fallow. Yet even in these circumstances, a naked fallowmust be occasionally interposed; as, though the culture ofpotatoes is excellently calculated to extirpate annual weeds, itdoes not admit of the perfect eradication of vivacious roots,because it must be completed early in the season.
On the whole, it may be foretold of every farmer on a strongin such a climate as that of Scotland , that his affluence