EUROPEAN FARMING. 



He left Ostend, by railway, for Cologne, on the 19th 

 of May, 1853. 



The greater part of this district, he says, is in 

 grass, upon which are pastured thin-fleshed cattle, 

 and sheep, if possible, worse in feeding qualities. 

 The land is well tilled, but needs draining. The 

 crops of beans, peas, and rape seed, are all drilled 

 about a foot apart, as also a considerable part of the 

 rye, wheat, oats, bere, and barley. About a sLxth of 

 the plowed land is in clover, which is a fair crop. 



After leaving Cologne, on the way to Dusseldorf, 

 he passed over a pretty district, of light red sandy 

 soil, with some good-sized farmsteads on it, all in til- 

 lage, except some water-meadows, which are well 

 managed. The crops were very clean, but light. 



After passing through a poor, hungry soil, adjoin- 

 ing a barren heath, where the farming was clean but 

 the crops very light, he came into a better district, 

 where the farms were generally large, to many of 

 which were attached large distilleries. 



Although the facilities appeared good for produ- 

 cing heavy crops, yet they were hght. The whole of 

 these districts are open field, which, along with the 

 severity of the winter, prevent sheep from being 

 brought into use for the development of the powers 

 of this light dry soil. The crops grown are rye, as 

 tlie staple crop; wheat and rye mixed; barley, oats, 

 peas, beans, rape-seed, tares, clover, turnips, beets, 

 potatoes. About one-third seemed to be pulse and 

 green crops, and two-thirds white crops, which were 

 ail light. 



The whole of the country between Dusseldorf and 

 Duisberg is open field, and light, dry, sandy soil, ex- 

 cept a few patches that could be easily drained. 

 "I have no doubt," says Mr. Love, "that if these 

 lands were inclosed, and large flocks of sheep kept 

 upon green crops, the produce of grain would be 

 more than doubled, although half of the land will 

 grow in green crops, producing wool and mutton." 



Mr. Love thinks the best farm district he saw, was 

 between Brunswick and Magdeburg. It is not in- 

 cJosed. Large flocks of sheep are kept and folded 

 upon green crops; also, large herds of cattle range 

 the marshes, which extend to about a tenth of the 

 district. " The homesteads are large and substantial, 

 and with their steam engines and tall chimneys, are 

 ae imposing sight to the lovers of agricultural im- 

 provement." (We suppose these steam engines are 

 used in the manufacture of beet sugar.) Nearly the 

 whole of the crops are drilled and horse-hoed, and a 

 weed or a square yard of waste land is uot to be 



seen. The farmers are wealthy, as such men ought 

 to be. 



Mr. Love says: 



" I was struck with the mode of yoking cattle here, 

 namely, a board about six inches wide and two and a 

 half feet long, tapering to both ends, where there are 

 hooks similar to those used on the ends of our 

 swingletrees. Thi.5 board has padding under it, and 

 is hung to the horns by two straps, which suspend it 

 across the forehead just below the horns. The traces 

 are attached to the hooks at each end of the pushing- 

 board. Thus the animal has the line of pressure 

 caused by the draught, or tractions, passing straight 

 along the back bone, pressing its joints more closely 

 together. 



" After looking minutely into the working of this 

 system, and ubserving the eare with which the cattle 

 drew their loads, chewing their cuds as they walked 

 along, I became convinced that it was the proper 

 mode of yoking o.xen. 



" I was surprised at the ease with which two small 

 cows drew the plow, working at least six inches deep; 

 but the soil is very light and free. Their plows are 

 probably the models from which the Americans took 

 theirs, being very short and light." [Of course it is 

 impossible that the Americans could originate or in- 

 vent anything!] "The shortness of the mold-board 

 makes them easy in draught, while it completely 

 breaks the furrow-slice into pieces in the act of turn- 

 iog it; so that the implements required to pulverize 

 and prepare the land for turnips after tares and other 

 soiling green crops, are few and simple." 



Mr. L. says, in another place : 



"Indeed, if thorough pulverization of the soil is 

 the object of cultivation, the Continental " [or Amer- 

 ican] " plow is superior to the British." 



Near Brunn, Mr. S. saw a field preparing for sugar 

 beets and turnips, the extent of which was upwards 

 of three thousand acres. It was upwards of three 

 miles long, and the beets and turnips were drilled 

 from end to end. There were upwards of one hun- 

 dred teams at work. The whole was an imposing 

 sight. 



From Vienna to Presburg is a fine district of light 

 dry soil, but the farming is generally bad, a system 

 of over cropping being the rule. It is all open field; 

 weeds are the universal companions of every crop; 

 even the vineyards are not free from them. 



After passing Presburg, he traveled over about 

 eighty miles of fine sandy loam soil. Nearly the 

 whole of the dry land is in tillage, but the farming 

 bad. 'There appears nothing like system in the 

 country, unless it be growing of grain as long as the 

 land will bear it If fhis and the former district were 

 inclosed, half the land devoted to green crops to be 

 consumed by cattle and sheep, and the land well cul- 

 tirated, there is no donbt but the produce would be 



