ROTATIONS TO PRODUCE FOOD 207 



into squares. This is an operation (and the point is of 

 great importance) which can be carried out in winter 

 and in wet weather. In fact, short of the land being 

 actually saturated, the wetter the lea land, the easier 

 it is to work the disc harrow on it. Cutting up the 

 turves in this manner will cause the soil to rot. After 

 the above operation the land should be ploughed and 

 the old turves turned under — another operation which 

 can be carried out in wet weather. 



In the following spring the land should be disc 

 harrowed with an overlap stroke in the same direc- 

 tion it has been ploughed. Then the spring-tooth 

 harrow follows, and then the land is cross-disced, 

 again with an overlap stroke. A further run with 

 the spring-tooth harrow and the drills may be opened. 

 On very stiff land it may be necessary, before the final 

 spring-tooth harrowing, to run the cultivator through 

 the land and break up more of the under soil than the 

 disc would have been able to reach. 



Cultivating in this manner to a person not familiar 

 with the system, the potato land may have a very 

 soddy or rough appearance, but there is no harm in 

 this as the turves or sods help in the development of 

 the tubers by keeping the soil loose. Where the 

 writer carries out this rotation there are about 

 20 acres in each break. On the potato break, 5 acres 

 are sown with earlies, 5 with second earlies, and 10 

 acres with a late variety, the point aimed at again 

 being an even distribution of labour. Immediately 

 each section of potatoes is lifted the rye is broad- 

 casted and simply covered in with the harrow. 



The rye, sown after the first and second earlies, 

 gives very fine feeding in October and again in the 

 following April and May, by which time, that sown 

 after the late potatoes is also ready for feeding. In 

 April and May cattle, as well as sheep, may be allowed 



