ME. JOHN JUST ON FAULTS IN FARMING. 103 



with. We ought therefore to know how to deal with her, 

 and we shall have justice on our side. 



Whatever our crops may be, and whatever we may abstract 

 from the land in produce, it must be our aim always to re- 

 turn equivalents of material in the crude slate, for a staple 

 commodity to carry on the business. If we rob the ground 

 by crops of grain, we must carry back to the ground an 

 equivalent of the mineral and other matter we have ab- 

 stracted, lest our land for cropping become effete. It is 

 owing to the constant robbing of lands, by taking away the 

 grain and the straw without making any sensible or adequate 

 returns, that lands under the plough soon run out, and have 

 to rest till natural processes fill up the drain which misman- 

 agement has made upon them. Hence we make rotations 

 indispensable. Yet did we but treat our grounds skilfully, 

 did we but apply our manures strictly in accordance with 

 their own natures and the requirements of the plants we 

 cultivate, valuable as a rotation system may be, it would 

 not be indispensable ; but we might modify our course of 

 agriculture to suit all kinds of contingencies, and take ad- 

 vantage even of unforeseen casualties, by making suitable 

 arrangements so as to make them result to our benefit. 



Whenever we want increase of the vegetating organs of 

 plants, we must remember to treat them with manures most 

 abounding in azotised matter. This specially must be 

 studied in our green crops, our clover and Italian ryegrass, 

 our turnips, carrots, cabbages, mangel-wurzel, spring rye, 

 vetches, &c. Not merely is the quantity of the produce raised 

 to a maximum by such treatment, but the quality also im- 

 proved; a subject worthy of no slight consideration. Among 

 green crops is included the potato, though erroneously so. 

 The produce of the potato is collected in a ripened state, 

 and therefore exhausts the soil to the full amount of what 

 is taken away. Besides, the potato does not require a highly 

 azotised manure. Such manure tends to augment its liabi- 



