8 Nov., 1907.] Closer Settlement Studies. 661 



advantage gained by the system adopted by Mr. Darke lies in the fact 

 that it shows exactly the returns not only from the farm but also from 

 each particular crop or product, and it is a very valuable record to have on 

 a small farm especially in the case of mixed farming where saleable pro- 

 ducts are numerous and diverse. A careful record of the year's work 

 might show that several of the cows were expensive luxuries and that 

 some crops were being grown at a loss. 



The two acres of land under review are subdivided into five small 

 paddocks varying in size from less than a quarter of an acre to one acre 

 in extent. Half an acre is laid out with profitable fruit trees, the space 

 between the rows being utilized in growing fodder crops. Each paddock 

 is provided with an adequate water supply. The crops grown on the 

 tarm, with the purchased foodstuffs to the extent stated below, have 

 maintained three rows, one hundred fowls, twenty ducks, returning 

 ^100 I2S. 5d. as the year's income, i.e. over .^50 per acre, in addition to 

 the produce used b\ the household. 



^117 12 _5 ^17 



How THE Land is worked. 



The satisfactory result mentioned has been brought about by always 

 having abundance of green nutritious fodder crops growing for the cows, 

 irrespective of the seasons, by means of intense cultivation, rotation of 

 crops and a plentiful supply of water. The crops grown in season are as 

 follow, viz. : — Maize, sorghum, barley, oats and tares, or mixed oats and 

 barley, mangolds, sugar beet, potatoes, and vegetables. In addition there 

 are permanent plots of clover, prairie grass, and English grasses. 

 Mr. Darke believes tliat a combination of barley sown with oats or 

 tares produces a heavier forage crop than anything else that can be grown 

 for early consumption. Owing to the difference of habit of growth in 

 point of quickness of growth and stooling properties, the barley matures 

 more rapidly, and provides the greatest bulk of feed the earliest; the oat 

 crop comes on later and stools out freely, not only prolonging the feeding 

 period but having the additional advantage of providing an appetising 

 change in food. Mr. Darke is satisfied from experience that a crop of 

 oats or barley mixed with peas or tares provides a heavy yielding crop 

 in well balanced proportions as a general ration for producing milk and 

 at the same time keeping the cows in good heart and condition. 



The land is heavily manured at a trifling cost and brought to a high 

 state of fertility by the following system : — Last year in the way of 

 manure, besides what was made by his own cows, eight loads of wood 

 siftings (from the local wood siding), delivered at one shilling per load 

 were bought. These were all sieved by Mr. Darke and put into two heaps, 

 wood chips which were used for household use and wood dust which was 

 daily sprinkled thickly under the fowl roosts and cleaned out every 

 morning with the fowl droppings and put into a heap with the cleanings 

 from the cow bail. A few cartloads of elm leaves gathered from the 

 streets were packed and allowed to rot and form leaf mould; a couple 



