Mat! 11. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
0:! 
what is called organic texture to the soil, a matter of in¬ 
finite importance to hard-worked land. 
Thus then, I think, stands the case; and now I may, 
before I wind up this subject, which has, probably, 
already engrossed too much of the time of our readers, 
just point to a few useful maxims in modern practice. 
Supposing that persons keeping two or three Cows, a 
proportionate number of Pigs, and, of course, holding 
from six to ten acres of land, how are they to apportion 
it? It must first be understood, that as soil differs, so 
may the crops and rotation ; then, as to root-crops—Mr. 
A. has land peculiarly adapted to Carrots; by all means, 
then, let him keep a sharp eye on their culture. Mr. B. i 
has a deep, mellow, loamy soil, adapted to Mangold, 
Swedes, &c.; his course is plain. Mr. C. has a chalky i 
I loam, a Parsnip soil; what can beat heavy crops of 
Parsnips? But even with all this adaptability, the soil! 
will tire of repetition, and it becomes expedient to resort 
to other things as a change. 
In looking over the candidates in the shape of Roots, 
Vegetables, Hay, Pasture, and Seeds, we may see that 
i with reference to a sort of gardening mode of handling 
j farming subjects, the roots must, of necessity, occupy a 
I very prominent situation. However, since good hay 
and good pasturage are valuable articles, not only in 
themselves, but as contributing to that kind of rotation 
! which restores a fibrous texture to the soil, we must not 
allow ourselves, I eouceivo, in a six to ten acre plot, to 
i leave them out for a more market-gardening view of the 
question. The fact is, setting aside bias, it becomes a 
duty with those who attempt to guide the inexperienced 
in such matters to offer advice suitable to the position 
of the majority. 
The crops which may find a place in such holdings 
as I have taken for my theme may be classified under 
the heads—exhausters, restorers, and improvers. This, I 
am aware, will appear an arbitrary and cramped view 
of such matters to our extensive farmers ; but admitting 
that the classification is somewhat arbitrary, and con¬ 
vened for a special purpose, I must beg to submit it 
as suitable-to the case in hand. As exhausters, 1 would 
name most of the Cabbage-worts, or Brassica family; 
all Peas, Beans, or other plants, grown for their seed, 
especially if ripened on the plant ; and, lastly, we may 
point to the exhaustion occasioned by root-crops, as 
Mangold, Carrots, Swedes, &c., especially if merely a 
coaxed crop by means of a light amount of stimulating 
artificial manures. When, however, such crops arc 
produced by the use of liberal applications of farm-yard 
manures, containing, of course, much organic matter, 
the case becomes widely different; our old farmers will 
tell you, that Wheat, on such lands, will be too “proud,” 
will “ go down,” in an awkward summer ; thus pointing 
at once to the power imparted to the soil by the appli¬ 
cation of organic manures, in conjunction with high 
cultural processes. I leave what are called, technically, 
“ white crops,” grain crops, or the cereals, out of our 
present case; for in these days of corn-law repeal, how¬ 
ever much the effects of such changes in society may be 
warped or modified by a grievous war throwing every¬ 
thing into a false position, l do think that our five to 
1 ten acre men have no occasion to trouble themselves 
' about growing grain, more particularly if they be near 
, capital markets, or close to a good railway station. If a 
man, keeping two or three cows, sundry pigs, &c., can 
. manage to produce all his hay, it will be well; he had 
best accomplish this, 1 think, before talking about grain 
crops; especially as the production of good hay neces¬ 
sarily implies a system of progressive improvement to 
the soil, if due attention be paid to cultural affairs. 
I will, therefore, at once dismiss all consideration of 
thoso rotation schemes, which are the common practice 
! of our farmers on a large scale, and proceed to advise 
| on the foregoing suggestions 
Be the soil ever so stiff, we cannot afford to talk of 
fallows in this case; we must have -it so drained to 
commence with, and so aired and humbled by cultural 
processes, as to be nearly always at work—winter and 
summer. I think, then, that for general purposes, 
whatever number of acres the little farm contains, it 
may be employed in hay, pasture or grass, roots, and 
vegetables—all kept distinct, and following in regular 
rotation. Thus, suppose a plot of seven acres:— 
Hay . ... 2 
Seeds, or ley . 2 
Roots . ... ... 1 
Vegetables and green cutting ... 1 
A. home paddock. I 
Statute acres ... 7 
As to rotation—Roots might follow the breaking-up of 
hay-ground, vegetables, green cutting, &c.; next, those 
sowed down with good grasses, &c. If any grain crop 
were introduced, 1 think that Oats will be found the 
most eligible, for two reasons; one, that Oat straw is 
capital fodder for ordinary winter work ; the other, that 
! Wheat would occupy the ground too long, especially if 
autumn-sown. As for Barley, I would not by any 
means cboose this. I do think, that where only one 
I white or grain crop forms part Of a rotation where the 
prime object is to support as much stock as the land 
; can be made to carry, that the very straw of that crop 
should be ca))able of forming part of the diet. 
But here a question arises—How is the stock to be 
bedded? Everybody knows that it is difficult to pro¬ 
duce bulky manure-heaps without litter of some kind. 
And, indeed, this is one of the most puzzling questions 
connected with stock keeping, especially on plots where 
grain culture forms the exception. It will seldom pay 
well to buy straw to litter down with. However, I will 
say more of this shortly. 
Let us review the rotations alluded to, and see the 
policy of them. I do think that two acres out of seven 
should be allotted to hay, producing, let us suppose, 
three tons—a fair computation; this, with an acre of 
good root-crops, and the produce (chiefly green food) from 
vegetable culture, with occasionally patches of Vetches, 
with liye, and such things, &c., ought to keep three or 
four cows, or a couple of cows and a pony, or horse, 
if required, and, of course, several pigs—with, it may 
be, a breeding sow. The hay grouud, when ploughed 
or dug, should be cropped down close in the aftermath 
by the end of October, and the turf then immediately 
broken up to become mellowed for spring operations. 
After thorough working in March, some prepared ma¬ 
nure might be introduced during a good period, and 
this manure might receive a good dressing ot soot, with 
a little Peruvian Guano, just before being turned and 
divided in the dunghill. Such a compost, adding all 
the burnt ashes you can lay hands on blended with 
it, applied in the drills, and immediately covered, would 
produce first-rate root-crops. These root-crops would 
leave their division in excellent order for what I have 
termed “ Vegetable cropping," and would set that divi¬ 
sion at liberty during the end of October and into 
November, at which time it would become necessary to 
commence operations having reference to early produce 
in the coming spring. This vegetable division, as 1 
bave observed, might in part be appropriated to what 
is termed “ cutting.” Rye and Vetches might be some, 
on a portion from which (as Onions or Carrots)^ could 
be removed easily in October. I bus Rye and '\ etches 
would be ancle-deep in April. 
Now many other rotation schemes may bo found 
equally good, some, perhaps, better; for, indeed, the 
mode of scheming rotations must ever be influenced less 
or more by the character of the soil and the designs ol 
