WINTER FOGGING 317 



a surprising extent; indeed, it was very unexpected 

 to see the old Golden Drop wheat flourishing in such 

 a comparatively humid climate. However, our host 

 found wheat a valuable food for milch cows ; in his 

 opinion it maintained the milk yield better than any 

 other cereal. All the corn grown upon the farm was 

 consumed ; indeed, there was no sale of corn through- 

 out this district. Potatoes formed the only crop to 

 be sold and were highly farmed, because the good 

 prices to be obtained in the colliery districts close 

 at hand made it a very profitable crop if well done. 

 Potatoes were everywhere one of the best crops of 

 the year, but the field we saw on this farm would 

 be considered very fine even in the most favourable 

 districts for potato growing. Scotch or Irish seed 

 was used, and our host had proved for himself the 

 advantages that are to be derived from boxing the 

 seed, even of maincrop potatoes. The hay crop 

 seemed likely to be a light one, though the torrents 

 of rain which were falling at the time of our visit 

 were not too late to thicken up the bottom, were 

 it not perhaps in a grazing district more profitable 

 to take an early, even if a small, hay crop and utilize 

 the rains to get an abundant aftermath. It was in this 

 district that we first made the acquaintance of a method 

 of obtaining winter food for stock, which is known as 

 " winter fogging." It is the custom to take the cattle 

 off the grazing fields as soon as the meadows have 

 been hayed and some aftermath is available. The 

 pastures are then allowed to grow tall and rank until 

 in November, when grass begins to run short again 

 on the meadows, the cows are turned into the tall 

 and partially withered herbage, which seems to provide 

 food that the cattle appreciate and thrive on all 

 through the winter. Of course, the climate in Car- 



