THE ROTATION OF CROPS. 179 



out removing the tops or the earth from the bottoms, 10 place 

 them close on each side of the intermediate row that is left in 

 the ground. A plough is then passed down on each side, and 

 the whole are covered by the earth being turned upon them. 

 These are secured from frost, and are accessible at pleasure 

 through the winter, and given to the stock as wanted. 



My own conviction, and that founded upon no little personal 

 experience and observation, is, that the farmers in the United 

 States, where circumstances favor it, would find a great ad 

 vantage in growing esculent vegetables for their stock, especially 

 turnips, swedes, and mangel-wurzel ; and where these are prop 

 erly pitted in the fields, they may be preserved from the most 

 severe frosts, and at the same time be accessible, in the coldest 

 weather, at the southern end, which may be secured by bundles 

 of straw, to be removed and replaced at pleasure. That, during 

 our long winters, a supply of such vegetables would very much 

 conduce to the health and comfort of our stock, that they would 

 be found most valuable for cows in milk and in calf, and for 

 fatting cattle and sheep, is certain ; and the cultivation of them 

 would yield an ample profit, and the return of manure from the 

 consumption of them upon the farm would prove most valuable. 

 In this way, likewise, the straw of the farm would be converted 

 into rich manure. 



It will be observed that, in any rotation of crops to which I 

 have referred, there is little provision for hay. Comparatively, 

 very little hay is grown, excepting for market, or for the horses 

 on a farm ; and what is grown is husbanded with the most ex 

 emplary care with a care which would much astonish many of 

 our farmers, whose habits in this respect are extremely wasteful. 

 On many farms there are meadows in permanent grass ; some 

 portion of the clover crop is usually dried and cured ; and when 

 rye grass forms a part of the rotation, it is almost always con 

 verted into hay. The main dependence for the stock, with the 

 exceptions above named, is upon the esculent vegetables and the 

 straw. As soon as the spring advances, there is a supply of rye 

 sown for the purpose of being fed green to the stock, or of win 

 ter vetches, and the farm horses are usually soiled through the 

 summer upon the latter crop, of which I shall presently give a 

 more particular account. 



