METHODS OF PRODUCTION 109 



into consideration ; and in every country, where the 

 importance of agriculture is reahzed, no doubt exists 

 in the minds of the cukivators in regard to the superior 

 profits derivable from plough land. 



THE SOILING SYSTEM 



Another interesting demonstration is that of the 

 Harper Adams Agricultural College (Newport, Salop), 

 which for several years past has been carrying out an 

 experiment in dairying on arable land — that is, keeping 

 the cows entirely (apart from cake, etc., purchased) 

 upon foodstuffs produced from plough land. And for 

 the sake of comparison they have kept a similar number 

 of cows on good grass land. The results are most 

 interesting and of special importance, because they come 

 from a typical good grass-land district. 



In fact, this system of growing soiling crops is more 

 suited to districts with a fairly heavy rainfall than it is 

 to the drier eastern counties ; and it provides a sound 

 and profitable way of keeping land under the plough 

 in districts where extensive cereal growing would be 

 perhaps too risky. Here are the results : — 



F'ifteen acres produced fodder crops for thirteen cows, 

 the bulk consumed by the cows as green food, direct 

 from the field, the rest turned into hay to provide 

 dry food. In addition the cows received about 4 lb. of 

 cake a day. 



In 1917, 4994 gallons of milk were obtained per acre, 

 against 198-5 gallons from similar land in grass. And 

 this is really good grass land ; the average yield of milk 

 per acre of grass for the whole country does not exceed 

 120 gallons. We hear much of our wonderful English 



