CROPS. 265 



year, twenty-four beasts, or two hundred and forty sheep. This, 

 like all other crops, will, of course, vary with the season ; but, if 

 the weight here mentioned be produced, the number of cattle 

 above stated will hardly get through it. In case of a failure, in 

 the winter, a little hay or corn may be given to supply the de 

 ficiency/ 



Such is the author s account of his scheme, in his own words. 

 It will be seen that he goes into a fraction of time, to meet the 

 exact amount of keep which he proposes to obtain from the land. 

 He proposes, as a part of his plan, to keep his beasts and sheep 

 in movable houses or folds, so that they may be placed directly 

 by the feed which is grown for them, and that the most careful 

 provision should be made for the saving of all their manure. 



I shall not discuss the practicableness of his plan. I have no 

 confidence in it to the extent to which he proposes to carry it. 

 But it shows the author s strong conviction of the advantages of 

 soiling, and it leads to that great question, the full answer to 

 which has not yet been approached, What are the productive 

 powers of an acre of land ? That cabbages in the Northern 

 United States cannot be relied upon for winter feed, except in 

 a very limited degree, is certain ; but where the plants are for 

 warded by artificial heat in the spring, they may be made to 

 furnish a large amount of autumn feed, and may, in many cases, 

 be cultivated to great advantage. Any methods by which the 

 farmers in the old states, near the great markets, can increase the 

 means of enriching their lands by the growth of products to be 

 advantageously consumed upon their farms, certainly deserve 

 consideration. They may purchase manure in the cities; but 

 even if the cost of the manure, at first, is small, and in most 

 cases it is otherwise, yet the expense and trouble of transporta 

 tion are always considerable and vexatious. Whether it shall 

 be by the production of milk, by the fattening of swine, of sheep, 

 or of cattle, must be determined by local and individual circum 

 stances. The proximity to a quick market in such cases will 

 always, in respect to many products, give the farmer in the old 

 states, and near the large cities, peculiar advantages. I have 

 some doubts, however, whether, for the purposes of soiling, for 

 milk, or for fattening, any product can be found equal to that of 

 Indian corn cut green. The cultivation of a variety of feed may 

 be advisable, as in the event of the failure :f one kind of crop 

 VOL. n. 23 



