32 Report on the Agriculture of Belgium. 
to give a detailed account of a farm having, excluding buildings 
(represented in fig. 1, p. 11) and fences, as nearly as possible that 
area. 
This little farm is situated in the commune of Haeltert, near 
A lost, and to a student of la petite culture it is almost worth 
making the journey to see.* 
The farm belongs to the occupier, Madame Van Weyenberghe, 
a widow, who has three grown-up sons. Until recently this was 
the working staff, but now that one of the sons has gone into the 
world, his place is supplied by a hired man. The grass land is 
rather more than two acres in extent ; about an acre is cultivated 
as a garden, and the remainder, about seven acres, is farmed on a 
seven-course system, different from that in vogue in the light-land 
district. The shift is (1) potatoes or flax, (2) wheat with clover, 
(3) clover, (4) mixture, (5) colza, followed by turnips, (6) mixture, 
(7) rye. In the garden about a quarter of an acre of tobacco is 
grown every year, besides green vegetables of every description j 
and the spare time of the two sons is profitably employed in 
budding roses, grafting fruit-trees, and other similar operations, 
all of which bring in their modest profit. 
The land for potatoes is manured with farmyard and liquid 
manure, and also with guano. No manure is given for wheat, 
which is sown in October ; and the clover (cow-grass) is sown 
on it in January or February. After the wheat is harvested, a 
little clover is sometimes got the same year, but not usually. 
The next year it is cut the first time in March, and immediately 
afterwards receives a dressing of either liquid manure or Dutch 
ashes, but the former is preferred. Two other cuttings are got 
the same year before September ; but in that month there is a 
great prejudice against using it, as people say it has "spiders' 
webs," and hurts the cows. The succeeding crop (mixture of 
rye and wheat) receives no manure, but soon after harvest the 
stubble is well manured and prepared to receive the colza-plants 
for the next year's crop. The seed having been sown in the 
previous August, the seedlings are ready to be planted out in 
October and November, If the season is mild, each plant gets 
a dose of liquid manure ; but if hard frosts are expected, this 
stimulant is carefully withheld, for fear that the water should 
freeze and kill the plants. The colza-harvest is got in June, 
when the land is immediately manured, ploughed, and sown 
with turnips. This catch-crop is got in October, the turnips 
being pulled and housed ; and during the winter the land is 
sown with mixture. After that has been harvested the stubble 
* The commune has the advantage of being under the sway of a most excellent 
burgomaster, M. van Meldert, to whom we are extremely indebted for much 
valuable information and kind assistance. 
