CHAPTER XII 



MODIFIED CONTINUOUS-CROPPING ROTATIONS 



So far we have dealt with the case of the small twenty- 

 acre farmer who. devotes his entire farm to producing 

 fodder and forage to be afterwards converted into milk 

 and milk products, chiefly, and who buys the necessary 

 litter and, as will be seen later, a certain amount of 

 concentrated food in exchange for his potato crop. But 

 there is also the case of the man having a larger holding, 

 say, up to 40 or 50 acres, to be dealt with. 



Such a man, whilst also engaging in dairy farming 

 chiefly, could not aim at carrying 40 or 50 dairy cows 

 on his holding. There are many reasons for this, the 

 chief one being shortage of capital to buy the necessary 

 stock. 



This reason is sufficient in itself, but others may also 

 be mentioned. On most farms housing accommodation 

 is not available for such a head of dairy stock, neither 

 would there be sufficient labour on the average small 

 farm to milk and tend such a herd. 



These difficulties may not in the future be insuper- 

 able ; but at present, except in very exceptional cases, 

 they are. 



THE FIFTY-ACRE MAN 



For this reason the "big smallholder,' ' the forty or 

 fifty acre man, will find it more practical to modify his 

 rotation so as to be in a position to grow his own litter, 

 sell, where suitable markets exist, a portion of his grain 



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