284 The Agricultural Lessons of " The Eighties." 
hence I see no objection to double root-cropping, or growing 
roots two years in succession upon the same land. An increased 
head of sheep or dairy stock would be the immediate result, 
and the smaller area of corn would yield a much better result 
per acre. Also, the second root-crop is obtained at much less 
cost than the first, as the land is clean and in good condition 
to begin with. 
We have been gradually gaining an improved stock of root- 
seed, and a larger variety of cultivated fodder-crops. The 
cabbage tribe, among which may be mentioned thousand-headed 
kale and sprouting broccoli, have been more widely cultivated, 
and such changes render two root- or fodder-crops in succession 
more practicable now than formerly. .The entire lesson is that 
we must now rely upon our live-stock for profits rather than 
upon corn-crops. 
G. Lice-stock. 
The live-stock lesson does not require emphasising after 
what has already been said. The entire movement of the de- 
cade has been in the direction of live-stock. We have arrived 
at a standard of excellence in breeding animals which has 
placed English farming on a pedestal, and we must do our best 
to retain that position. 
When a sheep can be made equal in value to an acre of corn, 
it is worth breeding good sheep. When the produce of a cow 
may be equal to three to four acres of corn, it is worth keeping 
good cows. There are possibilities as to live-stock which there 
never can be with regard to corn. I must not enlarge upon 
this point, but if any one doubts, let him look at the records of 
horse-breeding, cattle-breeding, sheep-breeding, and of pig- 
breeding, and he will see why it is that men of capital and 
judgment will do well to look to live-stock in the future, and to 
relinquish the cry about the low price of wheat. Wheat' lands 
are the best for pasture, so there is no need to despair, even as 
to the future of clay land. 
7. Economy. 
Bad times lead to thrift, and one of the lessons of the last 
ten years has been the art of saving. It is to be feared that 
this lesson has not been so well learnt as some of the others. 
On the contrary, the wastes in agriculture are still deplorable. 
I lately drew attention to twenty common sources of waste on 
farms. It must not be thought that these wastes are all due to 
mismanagement on the part of the tenant. Many of them are 
owing to defective buildings, which render it impossible to 
