Mr, BoxalVs Farm. 
263 
Thus, every year, lie has three-eighths of his land in wheat^ one- 
eighth in oats or barley, one-eighth in beans, one-eighth in clover, 
one-sixteenth in tares, one-sixteenth in trefoil and white clover, 
one-eighth in roots. In other words, five-eighths of the farm are 
under crops cultivated for their seeds, while the remaining three- 
eighths arc allotted to plants cultivated for their roots and 
leaves. 
In this rotation, besides its general accordance with ajiproved 
rules of farming (such as " clover once only in eight years," and 
" no two white-straw crops in succession "), and its obvious 
advantages over the system usual in this country, it may be 
remarked that the crops for the sheepfold come at an equal 
distance of four years apart — in the first and fifth years. Further 
experience of his wants in this respect, may induce Mr. Boxall 
to grow less or no trefoil and white clover in the fifth year, but 
all tares ; in which case the sheep would be folded on all the 
green crop, as well as on all the root land. With the view of 
guarding against accidents in his Avheat crop Mr. Boxall has 
taken the precaution of " dividing his eggs among different 
baskets," one-third of the wheat being after clover, one-third 
after tares and trefoil, one-third after beans. Roots are succeeded 
by oats rather than by wheat, because the root ground may be 
poached by the carting of a portion of the produce to the yards, 
and by the sheep consuming in wet weather the portion left ; in 
which cases a good seed-bed cannot be got for the next crop, 
except by ploughing up and exposing the land to the winter's 
frosts, or by ploughing, rolling and harrowing in the spring, — 
neither of which operations would be possible if wheat were 
taken after the roots. Again, if wet weather should interfere 
with the proper cleaning of all the land preparatoi-y to the root- 
crop in the first year, there is a chance of this being effected in 
the fifth year, by breaking up the tare and trefoil ground as soon 
as the crops are off, and making what is called a " bastard fallow" 
for wheat. 
The enumeration in the rotation includes the main crops only. 
There are also certain intercalary or stolen crops, such as Italian 
ryegrass and trifolium — four or five acres of each to carry on the 
stock of the farm, after the roots are finished ; the Italian rye- 
grass being sown at the last hoeing of the wheat in the spring, 
the trifolium immediately after harvest, both being consumed in 
time for the turnips to succeed. Another stolen crop is turnips 
or rape, after the winter tares are fed off by the sheep, or after 
the trefoil in the fifth year. As an instance of what may some- 
times be done in this way, it may be mentioned that, in 1857, 
Mr. Boxall, after feeding off a crop of spring tares (sown in 
February), immediately broke up the land and drilled turnips. 
