426 
Winter  Cropping. 
all  times.  In  ploughing  all  the  year  round,  by  reducing  3 horses 
to  2,  and  by  using  scarifiers,  &c.  instead  of  ploughing  at  all ; in 
summer,  at  harvest,  we  have  seen  that  5 horses  in  carts  can  do 
the  work  of  10  horses  in  waggons  ; the  same  will  be  nearly  true 
about  dung-carts,  and  here  we  save  horses  altogether,  at  the  sorest 
pinch  of  all  in  the  spring,  when  before  we  wanted  to  do  two 
things  at  once,  clean  our  land  and  sow  our  barley.  I know  these 
things,  for  I practise  them.  I had  a farm  full  of  couch,  and 
having  now  made  it  clean,  keep  only  9 horses,  with  an  occasional 
ox-team,  on  460  acres,  and  do  not  expect  to  want  the  oxen  in 
future.  Autumn  cleaning,  however,  does  more  than  dispense 
with  Mr.  Bayldon’s  long  bill,  which  I hope  may  be  read  as  a 
curiosity  in  after  years  ; it  brings  on 
Winter  Cropping. 
In  the  south  of  England  we  have  a very  long  gap  indeed,  be- 
tween the  wheat-crop  and  the  following  crop,  the  turnip.  We 
begin  to  reap  sometimes  in  July,  we  clear  the  fields  in  August, 
and  we  cannot  sow  our  swedes  before  June  for  fear  of  the  mil- 
dew, while  our  turnips  are  not  got  in  till  July,  so  the  land  is  idle 
for  the  best  part  of  an  entire  year,  except  that  the  stubbles,  if 
couchy,  feed  a few  sheep  and  harbour  partridges,  whilst  the  winter 
fallow  affords  a sheltered  seat  for  the  hare.  This  is,  in  fact,  un- 
avoidable while  the  land  is  full  of  couch,  but  root  it  out,  and  the 
gap  is  filled  up  at  once;  so  that  here  is  another  great  saving,  since 
you  obtain  five  crops  instead  of  four  for  four  years’  rent.  “ Rye,” 
says  Mr.  Bond,  “ is  largely  sown,  coming  soonest  to  feed.  Rye 
is  indispensable  to  the  flockmaster.  The  land  ploughs  up  after 
rye  in  a friable  state ; beet  and  turnips  are  grown  quite  equal  to 
those  on  land  made  a fallow  of  and  worked  about  in  a regular 
way.”  The  St.  John’s-day  rye  is  one  good  variety.  Mr.  Baker, 
of  Writtle,  grows  another  excellent  kind.  He  recommends  that 
the  ground  should  be  harrowed  fine,  and  the  rye  sown  shallow. 
He  cuts  it  into  chaff  for  horses  and  cattle,  but  it  is  also  excellent 
for  sheep;  and  the  more  valuable,  because  coming  in  April  it 
enables  you  to  finish  your  swedes  at  that  time,  and  every  farmer 
knows  that  to  keep  the  flock  on  swedes  till  May  is  the  sure  way 
of  spoiling  a barley  crop.  It  ought  to  have  3 cvvt.  of  guano  sown 
with  it,  which  will  double  or  treble  the  crop;  and  as  Mr.  Baker 
values  his  crop  at  8/.,*  if  we  set  it  now  only  at  4 1.,  the  30s.  will 
be  amply  repaid.  Rye  being  sown  in  September  and  October 
to  feed  off  after  turnips,  we  next,  of  course,  sow  winter  vetches, 
drilled  with  guano  to  follow  the  rye.  Every  one  knows  there  is 
nothing  better  to  feed  weaning  lambs  with.  In  fact  these  matters 
* Consult  Mr.  Baker  on  ‘Rye  as  Green  Fodder,’  Journal,  vol.  vi.  p.  181. 
