214 AGRICULTURE 



clover, or winter rye, between two principal 

 crops of the farm, hence the origin of the 

 expression " catch crop." In the north of 

 England, and throughout Scotland, the 

 climate seldom admits of catch cropping, 

 though in some of the better districts of 

 Scotland one finds farmers sowing Italian 

 rye-grass after an early crop of potatoes, 

 the grass being removed by the end of May 

 or beginning of June in the following year, 

 in time to permit of its being followed by 

 a crop of turnips. Sometimes also a farmer 

 is able to harvest his crop of red clover 

 before the end of June, and if he is very 

 expeditious he may succeed in getting the 

 ground ploughed and sufficiently cultivated 

 to permit of the sowing of a crop of white 

 turnips. In the north, turnip seed is not 

 infrequently grown as a catch crop after 

 clover, early potatoes, or* Italian rye-grass. 

 The seed is ripe about the end of May, 

 and, if sowed before the beginning of July, 

 sufficiently robust plants will be produced 

 to withstand the winter. In the following 

 year the plants shoot out to produce seed, 

 which is harvested, as has already been said, 

 about the end of May, to be followed by 

 Italian rye-grass, or some such crop. 



It is, however, in the warmer and drier 



