ROTATIONS 165 



are comparable to those of the " old master " market, and 

 profits can only be averaged over a long period. The 

 amazing thing is the comparatively small influence our 

 classic breeders seem to be exerting upon the general 

 stock of our farmers ; although Great Britain is the 

 fountain-head from which every other great stock- 

 producing country draws its blood, the general level of 

 the animals which may be seen on sale at any local 

 market is below that which prevails, say, in Canada or 

 the northern United States. It is only in a few districts, 

 particularly in the North, that the ordinary tenant 

 farmers keep stock showing any uniform high quality, 

 and appreciate the fact that it costs as little or even 

 less to rear the better animal. 



Our host farmed over a thousand acres of land of 

 variable character, and the exigencies of his stock 

 business called for a certain amount of flexibility in 

 his management. The old Norfolk four-course system 

 chiefly prevailed in the district, and to this in the main 

 he adhered, though he would often take barley twice 

 in the rotation, after the clover ley as well as after the 

 roots, and introduced occasional catch crops to secure 

 more keep. Vetches in particular were sown over one- 

 third of the root break and followed up with turnips. 

 Red clover was not successful at such short intervals 

 as four years and so was alternated with a mixture of 

 grass seeds, trefoil, and alsike. One field was always 

 kept for lucerne, which grows well on the warm brashy 

 soils, and in a dry season proves of immense value, 

 being, indeed, at that time the only green-growing crop 

 upon the farm. Cabbages were also a feature, and our 

 host was a great believer in the value of transplanting 

 as compared with drilling this crop, and could show us 

 a couple of fields to demonstrate his opinion. Not 

 only was time gained for the preparation of the land, 



