80 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 8, 1859. 
■while the cow is allowed to graze over the plot, which 
she may do in the early autumn months. And any gaps 
in the Clover plant may he partially remedied by a slight 
forking over of the place in September, and sowing, as 
stated, a few seeds of Trifolium incarnatum. This plant, 
of exceedingly rapid growth, only admits of one cutting; 
nevertheless, it is not prudent to depend on the casual 
Grasses and other weeds, which a bare place brings forth, 
for the crop of the season. And if a portion of this 
Clover plot be so unpromising as to leave doubts of its 
doing well the ensuing season, let it be dug up at once, 
and planted in early spring with Potatoes, or some other 
crop. Or, perhaps, if twenty rods of this Clover plot 
were saved this way, the remaining portion with increased 
value of the Grass plot ought to carry the cow through j 
the summer. If this plan were adopted, the tables for 
the third year would exhibit twenty rods less Clover than 
previously, and the tillage crops will also be much altered. 
And as the character of the third year’s cropping depends 
on the preparation made for it in the autumn of the 
second, we will herewith give some instructions that way. 
AUTUMN OF THE SECOND YEAR. 
The Potatoes, Carrots, Mangold Wurtzel, and other 
things being removed, and the roots being stored away 
in a manner that will be described hereafter, the ground 
may have a good stirring—that is, a good digging, as 
soon as the crops mentioned are taken off; and, if pos¬ 
sible, let this not be later than the beginning of October. 
Take care to clear away any weeds of a perennial cha¬ 
racter that may be lurking amongst the Beans, which do 
not admit the use of the hoe amongst them after June 
so well as the root crops do. This done, and it being 
determined to have Wheat on the plot, or it might be 
Barley, in either case the corn crop will act as a nurse to 
the Clover, which it is purposed to have the year follow¬ 
ing the corn. Wheat is the most suitable for sowing in 
autumn, and is often thought the best for stiff land; but 
if Barley is more useful as affording food for the pigs, 
February or March will then be soon enough to sow 
this; and Barley will also allow of dung being more 
liberally used than Wheat will do, and this is of conse¬ 
quence to the Clover crop succeeding it. But sow the 
Barley thin, and the Clover may be sown after it at the 
end of April, as described in the second year’s cultivation. 
The cropping in the autumn of the second year will, 
therefore, be somewhat like this : — 
60 rods of Grass, fast merging into a good sward. 
120 rods of Clover lea, a part of which—say 20 rods or 
more, if bad—may be broken up during the winter for 
Potatoes and other green crops. 
80 rods in fallow ready for sowing either with Wheat, 
autumn Beays, or Barley in spring, with Clover as a 
following crop. 
In the above arrangement it will be seen that the 
quantity of ground in tillage the third season will be 
very small • this is unavoidable under the circumstances, 
as Clover being the most important, other things must 
become subordinate to it, and its cultivation carried on 
as long as practicable. Care must, therefore, be taken 
to secure as good a plant as possible, in order that it may 
do the work of two seasons. Do not let it be too closely 
eaten off in the autumn of the first year of its being cut, 
which we here regard as the second year of our cultiva¬ 
tion ; and if the winter prove severe, a coating of rough 
manure—such, for instance, as is furnished by the cavalry 
barracks in various towns, which, by being laid on in 
midwinter, the rain washes the dung or liquid sub¬ 
stances into the ground, and the rough litter being left 
at top forms a sort of protection to the crown of the 
Clover plant during the inclement part of the year, and 
more especially during that part of it in which those 
alternate thaws and frosts exercise so destructive an 
influence on most plants not indigenous, of which Clover 
is one. This litter, or straw, in a washed state, must 
be raked oft with an ordinary wooden hay-rake before 
the Clover grows through it to entangle it; but let 
it lie as late as can well be done without being so en¬ 
tangled. In fact, if a labourer is not objectionable, let it be 
raked into heaps some dry day in the early part of March, 
and then spread over the ground again, rolling the ground 
at the same time if convenient. This moving of the litter 
tends to keep it at the top, and not to settle down into, 
and amongst the llsing shoots of Clover, and it is too 
early yet to be dispensed with. Observe in this raking 
not to disturb anything that is not likely to fetter the 
scythe in the after-cutting of the crop ; but all the par¬ 
ticles of dung and solid matters may remain, and being 
rolled in before the ground gets too dry, a smooth surface 
is preserved for all after operations. This rough litter 
dressing is more useful to Clover than a dressing of solid 
material, as the latter merely enriches the ground without 
affording that protection to the Clover plant so much 
needed at this season. Liquid manure, however, may be 
applied as fi'eely as circumstances will allow', more especi¬ 
ally in spring, when the growth has commenced; and if 
in the autumn, not later than the end of September, some 
Grass seeds were sow r n on the most naked or broken places, 
they would grow and furnish herbage that might be of 
great service. This would be better than taking up and 
transplanting patches of Clover into these open places. In 
fact, wlxere labour is not expensive, and it ns determined 
to make the most that can be made of this plot, one or 
other of these means must be put in inquisition to ensure 
a good, uniform crop, or cut, as it is familiarly called, all 
over the piece. Transplanting Clover, however, is rarely 
attended with success, its deep roots rendering it difficult 
or troublesome to get it up and into the ground again 
unhurt by the operation. Nevertheless, where a few 
plants of Lucern can be had, let them be introduced 
instead, or the small yellow-llowered Trefoil may be sub¬ 
stituted. Either of these thrives better where Clover 
has been, than Clover does itself. We do not mean the 
Trifolium before recommended, for that is, in a great 
measure, an annual, and unable to endure more than one 
cutting with advantage. 
THE TILLAGE GROUND IN THE AUTUMN AND WINTER 
FOLLOWING THE SECOND SEASON. 
If Wheat were sown here, see that slugs do not injure 
it. If so, and there^ be many gaps of a yard square, or 
so, put in more seed at any time during the winter, that 
the ground will allow of being trod upon. Dibbling in is 
the best w'ay to mend such broken places. In fact, dib- 
bling-in corn is the most economical way it can be done. 
Those accustomed to the work often undertake it for 5s. 
per acre, and there is often that saving in the seed. The 
plan is, however, admirably adapted for repairing faulty 
places. Babbits, w'here they abound, are also very de¬ 
structive to Wheat, especially in the winter months; but 
they are more easily kept down than the slug, which 
commits great depredation on Wheat lands which had pre¬ 
viously been Clover lea, and if a mild autumn and winter 
follow the sowing. If, however, Barley be determined 
on, stirring the ground in midwinter, when it is suffi¬ 
ciently dry, will be of great service in mellowing it, and 
the crop will, by its after luxuriance, often repay this 
extra labour. Beans are more hardy, and less liable to 
injury from the weather, provided they are not planted 
too early ; the end of November is early enough for them. 
If earlier, and a mild winter follow, they are apt to get 
1 too long, and frosts coming on in April they suffer 
more than they would have done if shorter, and the frost 
, had nipped them in midwinter. Beans are not so good 
j a nurse to Clover as a white corn crop; and this green 
crop being of paramount consequence, whatever else is 
grown must be made subservient to it. 
STORING AWAY ROOTS. 
The uncertainty which has of late years hung over the 
Potato crop, renders it advisable to store them awav in 
