CHAPTER XIII 



CONTINUOUS CROPPING FOR MOUNTAIN FARMS 



It will be seen that the system of continuous cropping 

 permits of very varied rotations being introduced, 

 and with the examples given the small farmer with his 

 wits about him will have no great difficulty in framing 

 his rotation to suit the particular conditions of soil, 

 market, labour, and, above all, climate under which he 

 is working. 



There are, however, a very large number of small 

 farmers in these countries, notably along the Pennine 

 Chain, in Devon, Cornwall, Wales, Kerry, in short in 

 hilly districts generally, whose case calls for special 

 consideration. 



As a rule each of these farmers has a small amount 

 of level arable land in the valleys (where the home- 

 stead is generally built), and the rest of the farm is on 

 steep mountain-sides. In such districts the land in the 

 valley is cultivated, whilst the rest of the land is left 

 in a state of nature, growing very poor pasture and 

 grazing very inferior stock, generally sheep and young 

 cattle. On such pasture a sheep takes four or five years 

 to mature, and then certainly yields very toothsome 

 mutton, but not enough of it to provide a dinner for 

 half a dozen hungry men. 



The young cattle are poorer still. Good two-year- 

 old bullocks after a year's grazing on these poor 

 mountain pastures turn into " yearlings." Spring- 

 dropped calves, pail and hand-fed during the summer 



"5 



