136 CONTINUOUS CROPPING 



One more point. As a temporary expedient imtil 

 capital is available to carry out continuous cropping 

 and dairy farming to its fullest extent, more attention 

 can be given to the ready-money crops, like potatoes, 

 than would be the case under a full fodder-cropping 

 system. 



It is not to be assumed that at any time it is recom- 

 mended to carry twenty in-milk dairy cows on a 

 twenty-acre farm. This, except in very exceptional 

 circumstances, is impossible, because of the lack of 

 sufficient houses. A portion of the stock must be dry, 

 which in many districts will scarcely require houses, 

 except such as can be provided by the erection of cheap 

 movable sheds, fully described in another section. 



Also, it will always be necessary to have a certain 

 amount of young stock coming in to replace those in 

 the herd. At present it would probably pay best for 

 the small dairy farmer to sell out his dairy cows at their 

 third calf. At that time they will bring their best 

 price. An exception to this recommendation should 

 be made in the case of an exceptional milker, say, over 

 700 gallons per annum, which should be retained for 

 breeding purposes to ensure keeping a heavy milking 

 strain in the herd. 



With the mountain farmer and others remote from 

 a town, or creamery or other market for his milk, he 

 has no alternative but to keep a large proportion of 

 dry stock, and, as before recommended, young dry 

 stock and also sheep, a breeding flock for preference. 



Whilst it is not recommended to keep twenty dairy 

 cows on twenty acres of land, to repeat, the ultimate 

 aim should be to keep the equivalent of a cow to the 

 acre^ at least to the acre tilled, and the further aim of 

 the smallholder should be to till every acre. 



In Ireland the equivalent of a full-grown beast or 

 dairy cow is spoken of as a " Collop." There are 



