ENGLISH AGRICULTURE. 207 



Woburn and at Rotliamsted, where they carry out a system 

 of consecutive corn-growing for experimental purposes. I 

 cannot believe it is done at a profit. We know perfectly well 

 that the Woburn experiments have been a heavy tax on the 

 liberality of the Duke of Bedford, and that the experiments 

 are carried out at a great expense at both places, chiefly 

 because of the vast amount of trouble that is requisite in 

 order to keep the ground clean ; whereas, if we take an 

 alternate system of cropping we have a natural and easy 

 method of cleaning the ground. That ought not to be lost 

 sight of. It certainly ought to be impressed upon all students 

 that the cleaning of the land is one great reason for an 

 orderly succession of crops. Another collateral advantage is, 

 that rotations preserve a uniform amount of work during the 

 whole of the twelve months. All corn growing or all root 

 growing would throw a vast amount of labour on to particular 

 seasons of the year, and leave the farmer and his men idle 

 for the remainder. A constant staff of men and a regular 

 force of horses may be looked upon as one of the advantages 

 of a proper rotation of crops; and lastly, it is only by a 

 systematic rotation of crops that we are able to support our 

 sheep throughout the entire year without sudden variation in 

 number. It would not suit a farmer to be subjected first to 

 a period in which he had an excessive lot of keep, neces- 

 sitating his going into the market to buy, and then another 

 period in which he would be compelled to go into the market 

 and sell. He wants to so crop his land that he has a provision 

 for live stock during both the winter, the summer, the spring, 

 and the autumn. 



Another reason why a rotation of crops is of great value 

 indeed, especially with reference to this last point of live 

 stock, is as follows. If we were to apportion our land on 

 the principle that this is a wheat-field, therefore let us 

 grow wheat always upon it ; this a field suitable for turnips, 





