218 THE LAND AND ITS PROBLEMS 



productive fodder crop available to British farming, and where 

 an average of over 25 tons per acre is obtained it is not an 

 expensive crop to grow. The combination of mangels with 

 pea and oat hay adopted is probably more economical than 

 feeding ensilage during the winter. It has proved remarkably 

 successful in the experiments, and practical farmers who have 

 tried the mixture speak well of it. Where heavy crops of 

 mangel can be obtained they should be included in any 

 scheme for intensive arable dairy farming. 



METHODS OF CULTIVATION 



The land on which the arable dairy farming at the Harper- 

 Adams College is being carried on is a strong loam tailing off 

 to a red clay on one side and a sandy loam on the other. Part 

 of it works freely, but one field is difficult to manage in wet 

 weather ; on the whole it is very well suited to the purpose. 

 The plough is the most important implement of cultivation 

 on a soiling farm, a type with concave mould-board being 

 used for all work. Another implement of cultivation of great 

 value is the Massey Harris spring-tined harrow, which gives 

 exactly the soil tilth most suitable for forage crops. For the 

 mixtures the land is ploughed seven inches deep with a well- 

 broken furrow, on which the seed is broadcasted, the spring- 

 tined harrow following. No further cultivation is given, as 

 the crops thrive better when the earth is left rough, and fewer 

 weed seeds germinate. Rain water passes through such a 

 seed-bed, thus consolidation of the surface is avoided. One 

 drawback to having the land in this rough condition must be 

 mentioned, i.e. the choking of the knives of the reaper during 

 cutting. 



The second crops are planted immediately after the first 

 crops have been removed, the plants being raised in seed-beds 

 in the same field and as near as possible to the place where 

 they will be required. The practice of ploughing in the cab- 

 bage or kale plant has been adopted, after experimenting with 

 a planting machine, and dibbling. Where skilled labour is 



