140 FARMING ON FACTORY LINES 



adopted in order to conserve soil moisture. In fact, 

 for the successful growth of summer-sown winter 

 greens, even in districts of comparatively high 

 rainfall, moisture might be regarded as the dominant 

 requirement. 



Under the ordinary system of tillage, a farmer 



f invariably ploughs in his farmyard manure, but in 

 nine out of ten seasons, spreading dung on the top of_ 

 • the land, after the cultivation and sowing of winte r 



i greens is completed, proves more successful than" 

 when the dung is ploughed in. 

 On this point last year the writer had the pleasure 

 of a visit from a party of English and Welsh experts. 

 The visitors were shown a field of about 20 acres of 

 winter greens. At intervals of about 40 yards wide, 

 on the date (September 25th) when the visitors 

 arrived, there were strips of winter greens not more 

 than about six inches high, whereas on the 

 remaining parts of the field the crop was three feet 

 high. 



It was explained to the visitors that the land had 

 all been manured and treated in an equal manner, 

 and they were asked to give an opinion as to why 

 there was such a great disparity in the crop. So 

 little is the importance of dry farming in connection 

 with the Continuous Cropping system understood, 

 that not one of the thirty visitors gave the right 

 explanation. 



QUICK TILLAGE 



Yet the explanation was quite simple. The part 

 where the crop was so luxuriant had first been tilled, 

 the tillage being done as quickly as possible. Then 

 the crop was sown and the farm-yard manure was 

 applied and spread on the surface. Most of the 



