68 
Some of the Agricultural Lessons o/'18G8. 
upon the clay-land, clay it still remained ; and tliose roots 
could not be consumed where grown without injury to the suc- 
ceeding corn-crop. I therefore resorted to shed and yard feeding 
of sheep ; and my practice then settled down to growing rape 
and early turnips on part of the clay-land, to be eaten off in 
October ; turnips and swedes upon the lighter land to serve till 
Christmas ; and then mangolds in the yards till the end of 
April. In this process we use burnt soil in the sheds 18 inches 
to 2 feet deep, turned over by degrees as it becomes saturated 
Avith urine and dung. This serves a double purpose, — preserv- 
ing the feet of the sheep, and making a very valuable addition to 
artificial manure applied to the next root-crops. Let me say, 
however, that it is a mistake to suppose — as 1 have often heard 
— that sheep loill have footrot if kept on straw. I frequently 
winter the .ewe tegs without the aid of burnt soil, and never have 
lameness. All that is required to guard against it is that the 
pens be littered daily, but only just so much as is necessary. 
In this way the manure is so consolidated by the treading that 
no fermentation goes on, and the cause of footrot in yards is 
avoided. There will be no shed-feeding this winter. Fiapc and 
young turnips must be eaten where grown. 
" I occupy now 250 acres in addition to this farm, all grass 
land except 30 acres, and mainly used for dairy cows and young 
cattle ; folding over during the winter, with ewes eating chaff, 
the portion of land which has been mown or grazed by dairy- 
cows during the previous summer. Since occupying this addi- 
tional land my flock of ewes has increased to 400 ; but the food- 
supply for them almost entirely (except during the months of 
December and January, when they are employed as above in 
counteracting the effect of mowing and dairy farming) is grown 
upon this farm. To show how this is done, I must give my 
usual cropping in detail : — 
" Wheat, 200 acres. 
" Winter beans, 20 acres. 
" Clover for mowing, 20 acres. 
" Mixed seeds to graze, 60 acres ; half of which is broken up 
in July for rape. 
" Fallow, with green crops, 100 acres. 
" The fallow cropping will be in this way : — 
" 30 acres of the poor clay-land will be part vetches, part 
Italian rye-grass, to be eaten off by the end of June; 
the land fallowed and prepared for wheat by steam, 
having grown no other green crop. 
" 25 acres of mangolds, manured after harvest ; steam-ploughed 
and planted on stale furrow. 
