ARABLE OR GRASS I* 



the wrong side. Take one in particular, hurdle 

 sheep. I often tell my head shepherd that his 

 branch would show a direct loss was it not for the 

 few ram lambs we are able to turn out yearly, with 

 very little extra cost. Indeed it would be a still 

 greater loss if one could not grow the heavy corn 

 crops which follow the hurdle sheep. 



No one will deny that it takes very little extra 

 labour to harvest a good crop than it does a bad 

 one. Then again, assuming you have been for- 

 tunate to harvest a good crop you possess this bulk 

 I have been talking about to carry a few extra 

 dairy cows, you have plenty of litter for the pigs and 

 stubble rakings for the poultry, and again oat straw 

 in abundance to supplement a short hay crop. 



It would be foolish of me to make any suggestion 

 to include crops under glass because in most cases 

 it would be impractical, but I can say in my own 

 case I find the one helps the other. I propose to 

 say a little on crops under glass in a later chapter. 



Believe me, I am not making a claim that during 

 the years following the Great War one was right 

 to cultivate every acre possible, but what I am 

 arguing is that arable farming in conjunction with 

 alternate husbandry in a limited form, is a much 

 safer proposition than going all out for grass. 



Farming Systems 



It was the practice in my early farming days I 

 know to work one's farm on either the three- or 

 the four-course system. Quite sound in principle 



71 



