THE GRUB. 141 



and look for it. When we see so many things in farm 

 practice nowadays tending to do away with the notion that 

 the only way to prepare the soil for cropping is to throw it 

 up in the angular furrow-slices so long known and carried 

 out, and to prove that other modes, as grubbing or the like, 

 are better, it will be odd if another reason is found against 

 ordinary ploughing, and in favour of other modes of pre- 

 paring the soil, in the fact that the latter are more likely to 

 prevent the ravages of the grub. 



But while advocating remedial measures such as we have 

 adverted to, Mr. Johnston strongly insists upon the impor- 

 tance of introducing rotations other than those now in 

 vogue, and which are more likely to meet the circumstances 

 of actual practice. When we remember that green roots 

 and leguminous crops have all hitherto resisted the at- 

 tacks of the grub if they are, indeed, liable to them 

 we see that, by introducing these methodically into the 

 rotation, so that we ' have our whole lea broke under one 

 or other of such crops as turnips, potatoes, rape, cabbage, 

 beans, or pease, we will have stolen such a march as will 

 tend to certain victory.' Mr. Johnston suggests that the 

 whole might be placed under potatoes; but, in view of the 

 difficulties attendant upon the lifting of these in many lo- 

 calities, he suggests one-third of the ' break ' to be in po- 

 tatoes only; one-third to be in tares those tares to be 

 sown between February and June in rotation, so that by 

 the time Swedes fail the farmer, he will have a capital 

 green food to replace them, and as the rotation crops of the 

 tares come into use, they will likely give a supply of food 

 up to September or turnip time; the remaining third of 

 the ' break ' to be rape for sheep, and cabbage for cattle. 

 Mr. Johnston says that he has no experience of the value 

 of rape, yet he believes that it must be good, else it would 

 not be so much grown in England as it is ; and we think 

 he is right in this. We know something of the culture of 

 rape, and of its value as a feeding material not only for 

 sheep but for cattle the latter, so far as our experience 

 goes, being remarkably fond of it and we confess to some 



