although it may not afford much keep during the winter, yet the manure deposited by the sheep whilst eating it, and the benefit derived from the roots when ploughed in, will be of great advantage to the land.

Rape sown exclusively for its seed, must be kept at a greater distance apart than when intended for soiling, or feeding by sheep. On the poorer soils the plants may be left at eight or ten inches apart, but on rich soils they must stand at twelve or fifteen inches distant. When the crop is intended for seed, the time for sowing is about the middle of August, and for reaping, the middle of July following, provided the season be favourable.

The ripening of the crop ought to be carefully attended to, for it will change very quickly, if the weather be hot, and will probably require to be cut in patches throughout the field. It must also be well watched from birds, as soon as the pods begin to fill. The crop must on no account be allowed to get too ripe, and if lodged, should be cut even under-ripe, in preference to letting it lie upon the ground. It must be reaped with great care, and then put erect in shocks to dry and ripen in the fields. When carried, it must be kept upright, and shaken as little as possible until placed on the sheet: it is then to be beaten out with long poles. Sufficient hands should be engaged for the day it is likely to be fit for thrashing, which requires expedition; as the crop must be carried to the sheet, thrashed, and cleaned, the same day, in order to guard against risk from rain. Should the seed be at all damp, when brought to the granary, spread it thinly on the floor till perfectly dry.

There is no portion of the rape-plant that may not be turned to a profitable account. Its value for soiling and feeding has been already noticed. The seed is used for crushing, by which large quantities of oil are extracted from it; and the rape-cake is very valuable as a manure. In Flanders, the manure from which the rape itself is generally raised, is urine, with the rapecakes dissolved in it. The pods and parts broken off in

thrashing, are as acceptable to cattle as hay; and the haulm or stems may be used as litter, or for the bottoms of stacks, &c. In Holland, the haulm is burned into ashes for manure, which is found to be very valuable.

LUCERNE AND SAINFOIN.

Lucerne, and Sainfoin, are each valuable crops. Both should be sown in clean ground, in drills, from twelve to eighteen inches apart, in order that they may be dug between and kept free from weeds. Both are tap-rooted, and require a loose dry undersoil; limestone, gravel, or chalk is the best. They are both perennial, and bear crops for about fifteen years in succession, and stand transplanting well; but if the soil is not kept loose and clean, these crops will soon deteriorate, and be seriously injured.

The seed may be sown in a seed-bed in April, and the plants put out in September, or else early in the following spring, as shall be deemed best in each case. Sainfoin is to be treated in the same way, and is suited to the same kind of soil as lucerne: a wet bottom would ruin either, but they will flourish on light land, if dry and warm. If cut early, they will yield four crops in the year; and an acre will feed four cows, from the 1st of April to the end of November, and afford a good deal of hay besides.

Lucerne and sainfoin thrive best in a dry climate, and require care and attention in weeding and keeping clean; and clover is therefore, perhaps, on the whole, to be preferred as a general crop. Lucerne is nevertheless much cultivated in some districts, on account of its durability, and abundant produce; and for the small farmer it appears to be particularly eligible, whenever the soil is suitable for its growth. A deep friable loam on a dry substratum is the best, and on such soil it may certainly be cultivated to advantage.

Chalky soils are found to be particularly favourable for sainfoin, and large quantities of it are grown in Wilts, Hants, and Dorset, and the other chalk districts in

the south of England, where it is held in high estimation by the farmers of every grade.

The land for these crops should be well prepared by trenching or deep ploughing, and a previous fallow, or fallow crop. When a small quantity only is required, it is better to have the soil deeply trenched with the spade, manuring it well at the same time. Deep tillage is indispensable for these plants, which derive their nourishment from long tap-roots, that penetrate the earth to the depth of two and three feet, in quest of nourishment.

If transplanted from seed sown the previous spring, half a pound of seed upon a nursery-bed, four or five feet wide and twenty paces long, will give a sufficiency of plants for an acre. The quantity of seed generally used, when sown in drill, is about twelve pounds per statute acre. The latter end of March, or the beginning of April, are proper periods for sowing. When delayed too long, the plant is apt to be destroyed by the fly.

The first year after sowing or transplanting, there will generally be three good cuttings; the first in the end of May or beginning of June, the second in July or August, and the third in October; and always cut the moment the flower-buds appear. In the second year, the first cutting ought to commence the first week in May; and again, at intervals of forty days, for four cuttings. The third year, and every year after, the first cutting should begin about the middle of April, according to the earliness or lateness of the season; taking care to begin the cutting early, as it is to be continued for forty days, and the latter cuttings would else be too far advanced. There will thus be four or five good cuttings in the year, equal to any crop of vetches, and without waste. After the last cutting, the earth between the rows should be well dug and cleaned, and a little manure would be very useful whenever it can be spared.

There is perhaps no summer crop better adapted for cottage husbandry than lucerne, where the soil is suitable. A quarter of an acre will support a cow from the 1st of May to the 1st of November, and it gives no unpleasant taste to milk or butter. It may be considered

a permanent crop, and little labour is required after the first year; and with a few Swedes, and a half or a quarter of an acre of mangel-wurzel, for winter food, it would answer well for the small farmer, and often obviate the necessity for cabbages or other crops.

LAYING DOWN IN GRASS.

The most important preparation for laying down tillage lands in grass, is to clean and enrich the soil; and the general, and perhaps the best mode of doing this, is by first growing a crop of mangel-wurzel, turnips, or drilled potatoes, which are to be well manured, and effectually cleaned and cultivated during summer,so as to eradicate all weeds. The following spring, put in either barley or oats, and when these are sufficiently harrowed, sow the grass and clover seeds, and run them over with a light harrow. Then roll, and if the ground be naturally stiff and adhesive, it may be well to give one turn of the light harrow after the roller, which will prevent the surface becoming hard and caky.

If the land is intended for permanent pasture, one bushel of the common, and half a bushel of Italian ryegrass, half a bushel of cock'sfoot-grass, 3 lbs. of white and 1 lb of red clover, and 2 lbs. of cow-grass, will be a good proportion, and sufficient for an acre; but a little trefoil and rib-grass might likewise be useful.

If it is only intended that the land should be kept under grass for one, two, or three years, the Italian ryegrass is decidedly preferable to all others, and three bushels of this grass, with 2lbs. of white and 5 lbs. of red clover, will be sufficient for a statute acre. Should the soil be very rich and clean, however, somewhat less seed may suffice; and if the land is poor, and not over clean, a small addition to the above quantities might be desirable.

The above is the most usual way of laying down in grass, but many persons prefer sowing in autumn, after a fallow or fallow crop; and in such case, a crop of

early turnips, well manured, and eaten off the land, forms an excellent preparation for the grass-seeds, which, if possible, should be sown in September. They will then be sure to strike, and do well; and will form a good sward early in the ensuing spring. In any case the ground should be well harrowed and worked fine, and after the seed is sown, it should be well rolled, to consolidate and level the surface.

The kind of seed to be sown, must depend in some measure upon the nature of the soil; but too much care cannot be taken to have all the seeds of good quality, and clean and free from rubbish. Perennial rye-grass, cow-grass, trefoil, and white clover, are the kinds chiefly to be selected for permanent pasture; but where it is intended only for three or four years, red clover is the principal plant, with a proportion of the Italian and common perennial rye-grass.

For a field intended to remain four or five years in grass, the following proportions are recommended;red clover, 12 lbs. ; white clover, 6 lbs. ; trefoil, 4 lbs. ; rib-grass, 2 lbs. ; rye-grass, 2 pecks; and cock'sfoot and cow grass are sometimes added. The entire quantity of the mixed seeds, should be from 30 to 40 lbs. per acre, in order to ensure a good close sward of grass the next year.

FLAX.

Flax comes within the definition which we have given of "Green Crops," but it is not usually included with them. It may, however, always form part of a rotation, and it has long been so cultivated very extensively in Flanders, and to a considerable extent likewise in Ireland. No crop affords so much employment, and none better repays the farmer for the care bestowed upon it; and when it is considered what large sums are annually expended in the purchase of foreign flax, whilst our own soil is equal to any for the growth of the plant, its extended cultivation would seem to be an object of national importance.