70 REPORT OF THE SCOTTISH COMMISSION 



according to circumstances, either sown in rides 24 inches between 

 the crests or on the flat in rows 19 inches apart. The plants are 

 thinned so as to leave 8 inches between them, and the crop weeded 

 and cleaned once or twice as may be required. A considerable 

 part of the area is devoted to beetroot and comparatively little to 

 turnips. This is necessary on account of the desire to produce 

 food that will not taint milk, and the stringent regulations with 

 regard to feeding which the Danish farmers have adopted through 

 their creameries. The proportion devoted to each crop, for 

 example at KoUe KoUe, a farm of 290 acres, is about : — 



25 acres beetroot. 

 1 „ carrots. 

 7 „ mangold and turnips. 

 5 „ potatoes. 



In addition to dung the turnips usually receive some artificial 

 manure, consisting of nitrate of soda and superphosphate, 80 lbs. 

 of the former and 150 of the latter per acre. This seemed to us 

 to be relatively a small quantity of super-phosphate, but as far as 

 could be ascertained splendid crops are grown ; on some of the 

 farms another crop of cereals is taken before the roots, thus 

 making the rotation one of eight courses, and when this is the 

 case another light dressing of dung is applied to this crop. But 

 as has been already pointed out the tendency is now to grow less 

 cereals and more forage and root crops. 



Third year — Barley (sometimes oats) planted at the end of 

 April with four bushels per acre, and sown out with a mixture of 

 grass and clover seeds which, to some extent, varies at difi'erent 

 farms, but the following may be taken as typical : — 



6 lbs. Common red clover. 



4 „ Late clover. 

 2 „ Alsike. 



2 „ Timothy. 



2 „ Brome grass (Bromus arvensis). 



5 „ Dogsgrass (Cocksfoot). 



5 „ Drap oat (Tall oatgrass = Avena elatior). 



26 



Fourth year — Clover and grass. 



Fifth year — Clover and grass. 



Liquid manure from the urine tank is applied to the grass in 

 both October and April, and a considerable part of the grass in 

 both years is mown for hay and the remainder grazed. The cows 

 on the grass are usually tethered as there are very few fences, and 

 moved forward in line daily to consume the crop, which is very 

 often in flower before it is eaten. But notwithstanding this the 

 grass is very completely and evenly taken off" the field by this 

 method of grazing, and it is claimed that by its adoption more 

 cows can be kept per acre than when the grass is kept short by 

 grazing. As to how far this theory has been demonstrated by 



