298 
Variaiions of the Foiir-conrse System. 
the root break, which is at once the most expensive and the 
least remunerative to the farmer. A reduction of 8 acres in 
the root break would show a considerable saving in the labour 
bill. The extra 17 acres of seeds would cany six to eight 
sheep an acre from April to October, provided they have 
an allowance of i lb. per head per day of cake or corn, 
three-fourths of which would be chargeable to the stock and 
one-fourth to the land. This is not only the cheapest but the 
best means of any with which I am acquainted for increasing 
the fertility of the soil. The second seeds, not being broken up 
for oats before February, would winter three or four sheep per 
acre from October to February. On a cattle breeding and dairy 
farm the second seeds make a valuable pasture, either for the 
milking cows or the young stock. 
Another important consideration is the labour bill. Here, 
in Derbyshire, the wages of the agricultural labourer have risen 
40 or 50 per cent, during a period of little over twenty years. 
It is not altogether, however, a question of wages, for the diffi- 
culty of obtaining men is yearly inci’easing. Whatever tends 
to reduce the cost of pi’oduction benefits the tenant. 
Although the cost of manual labour has increased, as we have 
stated, horse-keep has been less expensive ; hence the cost of 
a plough — that is, a man and pair of horses — and the in- 
cidental tradesmen’s bills, remain practically stationary, 100 
guineas a year having long been a standard estimate. Basing 
our calculations on the character of the land we have under con- 
sideration, cultivated on the four-course system, 50 acres of 
tillage and 15 acres of gi'ass would be as much as the man 
and pair of horses could successfully undertake. Extend the 
rotation to a six-course, and we get three white-straw crops 
instead of two. By reducing the root area and increasing that 
under grass we effect an economy of about one-fourth the cost 
of a plough on every 50 acres of tillage land. 
We will pursue the calculation a step further. Under the 
four-course system we get : — 
In this way we obtain 30 qrs. more corn, and although we 
lose 8 acres of roots, these really do not prejudicially affect the 
balance-sheet. The second year’s seed ci’op provides us with 
Turn to the six-course rotation, and we have : — 
