448

ON THE ARABLE LAND

crops of this grain, if judiciously cultivated, and enriched bya sufficient quantity of manure. In the opinion of an expe-rienced husbandman, rich clays and strong loams, when situa-ted in a favourable climate, and judiciously cultivated, maybe made to produce profitable crops of wheat every secondyear, if the land is kept free from weeds and in good condi-tion ; for which purpose a thoroughly wrought summer fal-low must be interposed once in every course of four, six, oreight years, according as seasons or other circumstances hap-pen to be favourable, or otherwise, to the great object in allgood husbandry, keeping the land free from weeds *. Therotation or course of crops for this purpose has been alreadydetailed, as consisting of a regular alternation of wheat withfallow, beans, potatoes or clover. But such a rotation cannever be attempted on the mere internal resources of a farm,as it. necessarily requires the aid of adventitious manure toa large extent; such as .sea-weed, alluvial compost, town ma-nure; muck from barracks or distilleries, or the like. Lime,marl, shell-sand, or other calcareous articles, though theymay largely contribute towards this plan of management, arenot alone sufficient for its accomplishment, as the same bene-ficial effects do not follow frequent repetitions, at least not inany degree proportionate to the expence, without the assis-tance of putrescent manures.

In the application of manures to this rotation, the calcare?ous are perhaps best applied to the naked fallow which be-gins the course, reserving the dung for the wheat stubbles,which will secure a good crop of drilled beans. When pota-toes are interposed instead of beans, which they may often beadvantageously in the neighbourhood of large towns, or in si-tuations near water navigation, the muck ought likewise to begiven to that crop. In the case of clover forming the inter-mediate crop, which likewise is often very profitable near

* Brown’s Treatise on ltural Affairs.