Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-06-22
From the Cultvator.
THE NEW HUSBANDRY.

NAKED FALLows.
Following is the mode of preparing land,
generally green swa-d, by pIoughing it q
considerable time before it is ploughed for
wheat and rye, to be sown in autumn. A
naked fallow is such as receives no inter
mediate crop between the first ploughing
and seeding for the main crop; fallow
crop is one that intervenes between these
two processes. In England, falows are
generally broken up in autumn. receive re.
peated ploughings during the ensuing sum-
mer, and are sown in autumn, or cropped
with turnlps, and sown :he third year with
barley. in the United States, naked .al.
lows are more often broken up in June or
July, receive repeated ploughngs, and are
sown in September. For fallow crops, old
swards are broken up in autumn, and clio
yer lays in the spring; the first receives
ore or more ploughings in the spring, and
Immediately after the seeds which are to
constitute the falIow crop. Clover lays
receive The fallow crop upon the first fur
row, or with but one poughng. Naked
fallows. in England, occupy the ground a
year; and if they are sown with winter
tares or rye, as they often are, to be fed off
in the spring, they are termed bastard fal.
lows. With US falIow grounds lay idle bu.
part of a season.
There is no agricultural writer of note,
and very few good farmers, who now con.
tend for the propriety of naked falows. ex
cept on stiff clays, or wet grounds, which
can only be worked in the summer, and
this for the purpose only Of being able to
clean such soils from root weeds. We
subioin two or three quotations in corrobo-
ration of this fact:
'FalIowlng was necessary as long as
grains only, all Of which exhaust the soil,
were cultivated; during the intervals of
tillng the fields. variety of herbs grew on
them, which offered food for animals, and
the roots of which, buried in the soil by he
plough, furnished great part of the neces
sary manure. But at this day, when we
have succeeded in establishing the cuItiva.
ton OF great variety of roots, and artlfi.
cial grasses, the system Of following can be
no longer supported by the shadow Of
good reason. 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 me-
cessity Of allowing his lands to be falow."
-Chaptal.
"lt is already acknowledged, that it is
only upon wet soils, or, in other words,
upon lands unfit for the turnip husbandry.
that plain summer fallow is necessary"
-Ns,o Edin. E,.cy
"As there is only one good reason for
following, namely, to destroy weeds,- and
as this can be done full as we'll by fallow
crops, that is, by crops that vequire frequent
hoe!ng and cleaning, during their growth.
no faIIows oSght to be permitted in a good
system Of agriculture. "-T. Cooper.
We have quoted in the last number Of
our fourth volume, the practical example Of
the late Chancellor Livingston. showing
an increased profit, Of nearly two hundred
per cent. resulting from substituting faIlow
crops for naked falows, besides an increase
of cattle food, upon one hundred acres of
arabic land, Of six'y-fve tons, and the ma
nure from sixty.fve cattle, which this food
would keep. In pages 88 and lO4 of the
same volume, we have given Greig and
Beatson's systems OF managing clay farms,
in which naked fallows are dispensed with,
and the profits doubled, by substituting
falIow crops. These evidences might be
greatly multiplied were il necessary; but
we have so many examples and illustrations
in every quarter of our country, that he
who will may profit by his own observation
and inquiry. The expense of the summer
fallows may be saved and a very valuable
extra crop obtained, by the new mode Of
practice.
10 regard to what are the best falow
crops? This will depend much upon the
soil. Upon stiff clays, oats and peas are
recommended, which although not cleans
ing crops, succeed well upon an undecom,
posed sod. Potatoes also answer well;
and if they do not ripen early enough for
winter grain, they prepare the ground re
markaby we'll for spring wheat. Clays
should be broken up in autumn, If intended
for fallow crop, that the frost may break
down and pulverze the soil, and that the
decomposition of the sod may commence
earlier in the spring. The late John Lor-
rain, of Pennsylvania, who was an excel
lent practical farmer, as well as gentle.
man of science, recommended, that IN
ploughing for grain, after fallow crop,
The furrow be superficial, so as not to turn
up the vegetable matter of the sod, hit to
leave 1t where the roots of the ensuing crop
will most need it, Upon light soils, Indian
corn, beans, peas. potatoes, turnips. or 9th
or roots, constitute good fallow crops, par.
l'cularly preparatory to spring wheat and
barley.
CONCLUSION. |
We have gone over the ground We pro.
posed TO examine. We have endeavored
10 explain what we mean by the .Ne'o Sys-
tenn of Husbandry-to developc It's prlncl'
pies, and TO show WHY, and WHEREFORE, 1t