HIGH FARMING. 189 



We have already noticed that, in the present state of 

 things, a farm of 175 acres, taken in average condition, 

 would have 75 in grass and natural pasture, 20 in roots 

 and pulse crops, 20 in barley and oats, 40 in artificial 

 grasses, and 20 in wheat. By the new system, pushed to 

 its greatest extent, the natural meadows would disappear, 

 and the 175 acres would be thus divided, 35 in roots 

 or pulse crops, 35 in barley and oats, 70 in artificial 

 grasses, and 35 in wheat. The proportion of improv- 

 ing crops to exhausting, which in the first case was 

 135 to 30, would in the second be only 105 to 70 ; but 

 this difference, it is said, would be more than compensated 

 by the additional quantity of manure, since, instead of 

 feeding 70 head of cattle, 150 or their equivalent might 

 be kept, and not an atom of manure would be lost. 



Can the extension of roots, pulse crops, and artificial 

 grasses, at the expense of natural pasture, really give, as 

 is affirmed, two or three times more food for cattle 1 

 This question is already, in many respects, proved by 

 facts. All these crops are improved together, and, with 

 the aid of draining and machinery, carried to their 

 maximum. The cultivation o'f turnips in drills, called the 

 Northumberland system, nearly doubles their produce ; 

 the rutabagas, or swedes, which are substituted for 

 English turnips on clay lands, give a better result ; and 

 a still larger increase is obtained from the artificial mea- 

 dows since two new methods have been introduced for 

 rendering vegetation more active : the first is the use 

 of a particular kind of rye-grass, called Italian rye-grass ; 

 the second an improved method for distributing liquid 

 manure. 



The Italian rye-grass is a plant remarkable for its rapid 

 growth. It lasts only two years ; but under favourable 

 circumstances it may lie cut as many as eight times in one 



