as Suhstituies for Tumifs, 
sequently, lie seldom gets a plant, mucli less a crop, over ex- 
tensive districts of the kingdom. In 1887 the seed which was 
deposited after the first four or five days of June remained iu 
the land without germinating until the August rains came. 
The losses of that year were enormous, owing to the short crops 
of swedes aiid turnips. In far less perilous summers the diffi- 
culty of obtaining satisfactory crops appears frequently to be 
experienced owing to myriads of turnip fleas devouring the 
young plants as rapidly as they make their appeai-ance. All 
this being considered, it seems by no means strange that farmers 
residing in districts where swede and turnip crops cannot be 
put in eai'ly should crop at least a portion of their land appro- 
priated to root and green crops with those on which they can 
calculate with the greatest certainty. 
Cabbages, Thousand-headed kale and kohl-rabi may be made 
use of as substitutes for turnips and swedes as well as mangolds, 
and the cost of growing kale and kohl is not usually considered 
to be more than that for swedes. Further, while requiring less 
manure than mangolds, they are equally sure in succeeding well. 
Farmers who find it difficult to rely on turnip crops can also 
fall back on vetches, trifolium, rye, and winter oats, which, 
when autumn-sown, occupy the land at a period when it would 
probably otherwise be either fallow or growing weeds. These 
crops, if cut for green fodder just when they have attained their 
maximum growth, might be converted into silage, and the soil 
be still available for growing swede and turnip crops the same 
year. There appears to be great gain, from several points of 
view, in taking this course, and no doubt it has been adopted 
largely since the ensilage system was introduced some four or 
five years since. In the first place, the tillage expenses need 
not be increased, and on tolerably clean land there would be 
many less weeds by two croppings taking place instead of one. 
In nearly all cases where land intended for- swedes and turnips 
is kept idle throughout winter and spring, three, and sometimes 
four, ploughings are given, the amount of additional cleaning 
being very great indeed. 
The assertion has often been made that catch crops can only 
be advantageously grown when the land is perfectly clean as well 
as in a good state of fertility ; but, in the course of correspond- 
ence with practical farmers on the subject of this paper, I have 
been informed by a gentleman of great skill and excellent judg- 
ment that he considers it by far the most economical and 
remunerative course on all heavy or medium soils to sow vetches 
in the autumn if the stubbles are foul, to ensile the crop in June, 
and give the land fallow working for six weeks, then to take a crop 
