158 AN AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



CHAPTER XXH. 



The general condition of Agriculture Rotation of Crops Productive- 

 ness Seeding down to Grass Comparison of English and American 

 Practice Practical Remarks Rye-grass, Clover Biennial Grasses 

 Guano Lime The Condition of Laborers, Wages, etc. Dairy-maids 

 Allowance of Beer. 



T MUST say that, on the whole, the agriculture of Cheshire, as 

 *- the first sample of that of England which is presented to me, 

 is far below my expectations. There are sufficient reasons to 

 expect that we shall find other parts much superior to it ; but 

 what we have seen quite disposes of the common picture which 

 our railroad and stage-coach travelers are in the habit of giving 

 to our imagination, by saying that "all England is like a garden." 

 Meaning only a " landscape garden," a beautiful and harmonious 

 combination of hill and dale, with the richest masses of trees, and 

 groups and lines of shrubbery, the greenest turf and most pictur- 

 esque jbuildings, it might be appropriately said of many parts ; 

 but with reference to cultivation, and the productiveness of the 

 land, it might be quite as truly applied to some small districts of 

 our own country as to this part of England. 



In commencing the cultivation of land that has been in grass, 

 the first crop is usually oats ; and the most approved practice 

 upon the stiff soils seems to be, to plow deeply in the fall or 



