560 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. f December 16, 1880. 
Our quotations bavin" shown that a much larger amount of 
nitrogen is left in the soil after the Wheat crop than could be 
assimilated by it, the next point is, What rotation of cropping is 
calculated to make the best use of the remaining cereal plant 
food ? In the ordinary four-course it must be remembered that 
the fallow for roots succeeds the Wheat crop, which would practi¬ 
cally go far to neutralise the remaining plant food, except in the 
case of the Clover lea being foul with Couch Grass, in which case 
we must not expect that an amount of manure left after the 
Wheat would be worth our attention. If the Clover lea was clean 
the Wheat stubble wrnuld probably be clean also. It is in this 
case that we wish to speak of the crop which should succeed the 
Wheat. Upon all mixed soils or strong loamy land Barley suc¬ 
ceeds much better after Wheat than after roots fed off by sheep, 
and is more likely to produce a good malting sample. We must 
then adopt a five-course rotation in order to make available the 
residuary manure. The rotation should be Clover, Wheat, Barley, 
roots, Lent corn or part Wheat, in which case the Clover may be 
seeded in the Wheat portion of the fifth lain, the other portion 
being seeded with Beans and Peas after Lent corn. Now the 
advantage of this five-course over the common four-course is self- 
evident, especially upon those farms which derive their profit 
from the sale of cereal crops. To conclude the subject we shall 
again quote from Dr. Voelcker’s summary of results obtained 
from his own investigations :—“ A good crop of Clover removes 
from the soil more potash, phosphoric acid, lime, and other 
mineral matters than any other crop usually grown in this 
country. There is fully three times as much nitrogen in a crop 
of Clover as in the average produce of the grain and straw of 
Wheat per acre. Notwithstanding the large amount of nitrogenous 
matter and of ash constituents of plants in the produce of an acre 
Clover is an excellent preparatory crop for Wheat. During the 
growth of Clover a large amount of nitrogenous matter accumu¬ 
lates in the soil. This accumulation, which is greatest in the 
surface soil, is due to decaying leaves dropped during the growth 
of Clover, and to an abundance of roots containing when dry 
from If to 2 per cent, of nitrogen. The Clover roots are stronger 
and more numerous, and more leaves fall on the ground when 
Clover is grown for seed than when it is mown for hay; in conse¬ 
quence more nitrogen is left after Clover seed than after hay, 
which accounts for Wheat yielding a better crop after Clover seed 
than after hay. The development of roots beiDg checked when the 
produce in a green condition is fed of£ by sheep, in all probability 
leaves still less nitrogenous matter in the soil than when Clover is 
allowed to get riper and is mown for hay, thus, no doubt, accounting 
for the observation made by practical men that, notwithstanding the 
return of the produce in the sheep excrements, Wheat is generally 
stronger and yields better after a Clover crop mown for hay than 
when the Clover is fed off green by sheep. The nitrogenous 
matters in the Clover remains on their gradual decay are slowly 
transformed into nitrates, thus affording a continuous source of 
food on which cereal crops specially delight to grow. There is 
strong presumptive evidence that the nitrogen which exists in the 
air in the shape of ammonia and nitric acid, and descends in these 
combinations with the rain which falls, satisfies, under ordinary 
circumstances the requirements of the Clover crop. This crop 
causes a large accumulation of nitrogenous matters, which are 
gradually changed in the soil into nitrates ; the atmosphere thus 
furnishes nitrogenous food to the succeeding Wheat indirectly, 
and, so to say, gratis.” 
Clover not only produces abundance of nitrogenous food, but 
delivers this food in a readily available form (as nitrates) more 
gradually and continuously, and consequently with more certainty 
of a good result, than such food can be applied to the land in the 
shape of nitrogenous spring top-dressings. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—The late open weather has enabled the farmers to 
complete the sowing of Wheat; a portion of the lain on some farms 
where the land is constantly cleared of Turnips by sheep will now be 
sown as fast as the ground is ready. If our plan be adopted—that is, 
ploughing and seeding simultaneously, the corn will vegetate quickly 
in all open weather, and the plant become almost as strong as that 
sown last month. It depends entirely upon the condition of the land 
whether Wheat should be sown all through January and the first 
half of February, or whether the land should be held* over and sown 
with Lent corn the first dry time in the spring. Upon good loams or 
mixed soil in a favourable climate we prefer to sow Wheat until the 
time named in February, because there is more chance on such land 
of obtaining a good sample of Wheat than of Barley fit for malting, 
especially if the land is well farmed, the roots having been fed off by 
sheep eating cake or corn. The Clover plant is much more likely to 
succeed in the Wheat than in the Barley, because the Barley is more 
likely to overstraw and become laid than the Wheat crop. It is 
difficult to do otherwise with the land left uncompleted as an autumn 
fallow than we have advised for several weeks past—that is, to 
plough the land with a single rafter furrow in order to keep the 
grass on the surface which the untoward weather has prevented 
being worked out and carted away in due course. We consider it 
very unwise to plough it under again with a heavy deep furrow after 
so much costly labour has been expended in bringing it to the surface. 
Fallow ploughing will still be the principal work on the farm until 
completed. A time of comparative leisure for the horses will then 
have arrived. There will often be carting work to be done relating 
to repairs, carting timber, bricks, lime, and sand, and in case of frosty 
weather carting wood from the coppices, such as bavins, hoops, 
hurdles, and poles. The laying-out of yard dung on to the Clover 
seeds and carting it for Potatoes and Mangold crops into heap in the 
field where it will be required for use will need attention, as it will 
save much time in the busy period of spring. In fact, unless the 
dung is already in the field at planting time we would prefer applying 
guano to these crops, and save the time of carting and laying out 
dung from the homestead ; for it often happens the work of planting, 
using only artificial manure, may be completed in as little time as the 
carting of dung only, which is a matter of prime importance in a 
changeable climate like ours. 
Hand Labour. —Hedging, ditching, wood cutting in the covers, 
and planting Thorns will be going on whilst the weather is open. 
Some work on the farm roadways and about the premises, such as 
laying out and spreading gravel, may be done ; the roadways, how¬ 
ever, will never require much gravel if the outsides or water tables 
are kept free. Much of the earth may be carted away to the heap 
for earthing cattle pens, or for making compost in admixture with 
dung for the pastures. Cattle now will require special attention with 
regular feeding upon a well-considered plan as to the quantities of 
roots, cake, meal, and fodder. This remark will apply with double 
force to sheep which are feeding in the open fields, subject to all the 
variations of weather. This reminds us of the question put to us 
to-day by a farmer who has three hundred Down tegs fatting in the 
open fields. He said, “ Can you tell me why my sheep should suffer 
from the scour, and render it necessary to have some of them killed ? 
I give them as many cut Swedes as they will eat in troughs, and I 
also give them half a pound each of mixed oil cake and decorticated 
cotton cake mixed with hay chaff daily.” We replied that it is always 
unhealthy for fatting sheep to eat a full allowance of cut Swedes by 
itself. Our plan is to give the cake in the meal state strewed over the 
cut roots, instead of giving the cake broken in the ordinary way and 
mixed with hay chaff. The detail of feeding makes all the difference, 
for when Swedes or roots of any kind are cut and given in troughs it 
is quite impossible to regulate the quantity eaten by each sheep; 
some of them may eat double the quantity compared with others. 
It is the same with cake when mixed with chaff. Too much or too 
little are both injurious to health or proof in the feeding of fatting 
sheep, for as some considerable time usually occurs between the 
hours of feeding, neither food counteracts the other like it does when 
given in admixture. When mixed the roots and meal enter the 
stomach together, and both act in unison in the maintenance of 
health and the making of meat. Giving cracked cake with hay chaff 
is very wasteful, for the animals are sure to rout and seek the cake 
first in preference to the chaff ; nor can the quantity of cake be regu¬ 
lated so well for each animal as when meal is mixed with roots. 
There is also far less waste if the allowance of roots is moderate, so 
that the sheep can eat all the bait before leaving the troughs. Again, 
three hundred sheep are too many to feed in one lot as fatting sheep, 
for the food cannot be so well regulated as in feeding a flock of half 
the number, although the shepherd may keep the animals back from 
the troughs until they are all filled. 
SMALL versus LARGE POULTRY YARDS. 
A FEW weeks ago you published some valuable notes from your 
esteemed correspondent “ C.” on a famous poultry yard in North 
Wales, which proved the great interest taken in fowls ; but I am 
afraid it would have a tendency to lead the majority of beginners 
to think that if the successful keeping of fowls depended on such 
conveniences, they must give up all hopes of ever gaining profit 
or pleasure from them. To show that fowls may be kept in a 
very small space in the best of health and condition I will briefly 
describe the poultry yard of Mr. Evan Clatworthy, Yastalyfera, 
near Swansea. 
During the last half dozen years or more the name of this 
gentleman has become familiar to all frequenters of poultry shows 
in South Wales, and many exhibitors at the largest shows in diffe¬ 
rent parts of England have cause to remember the presence of his 
birds at those shows. At the great Birmingham Show held about 
twelve months ago one of the Buff Cochin hens shown from this 
yard was claimed for twelve guineas, and other birds from the 
same quarter have been sold at higher prices than that. Upwards 
of three hundred prizes have been secured during the last three 
years, and we might suppose that the accommodation for these 
birds must be of the best possible description ; but such is not the 
case. The whole yard only measures 42 feet long by 27 feet in 
width. This space is surrounded by low sheds or runs, which are 
divided into a dozen or more compartments, with wire in front 
