212
AGKICUbTUBE ON THE BHINE.
grown are also very fine. For cattle-feeding the tur-
nip-cabbage is much in use. Of this plant there are
two sorts : one in which the turnip is formed over the
surface of the ground, and this is the most tender, and
serves for table use as a vegetable. The other kind is
coarser ; its turnip is formed under ground. StubbIe
turnips and Swedes are in general use. Amongst the
novelties for an Englishman the poppy must be ranked,
which may here be seen to cover whole acres. The
seed is not only crushed to give salad oil, but is often
Strewedovercakes, to which it imparts very little flavour,
and it seems to have no effect as an opiate. Tobacco
is a favourite fallow plant. M. Rau gives the following
rotations on three farms as specimens for the district :—
A. 180 morgens in Stifflowland soil.
1. Fallow . . 18 morgens tobacco
|
99 |
5 |
99 |
rape |
|
7 |
99 |
beet-root | |
|
99 |
20 |
99 |
clover |
|
2. Winter corn |
50 |
spelt | |
|
99 |
6 |
99 |
rye |
|
3. Summer corn 20 |
99 |
barley | |
|
99 |
16 |
99 |
oats |
|
99 |
4 |
99 |
tares for seed |
|
99 |
17 |
ff |
potatoes |
|
99 |
17 |
99 |
Iucern |
180 morgens.
B. 54 acres on the Bergstrasse.
!.Fallow . . Smorgenspoppies
„ 1
2. Winter corn 16
3. Summer corn 10
„ 6
,f 6
„ clover
„ Indian corn
„ spelt and rye followed by turnips
„ barley and oats
„ beet-root and potatoes
„ Iucern
54 morgens.
AGRICULTURE ON THE RHINE.
213
C. 162 acres on the Bergstrasse.
1. Fallow . . 10 morgens poppies
|
„ 15 |
99 |
rape |
|
„ 4 |
•9 |
hemp |
|
„ ɑ |
99 |
mangel-wurzel |
|
„ 10 |
99 |
clover |
|
2. Winter corn 50 |
99 |
spelt and rye ; partly followed |
|
by turnips | ||
|
3. Summer corn 15 |
99 |
barley |
|
„ 20 |
oats | |
|
„ 8 |
99 |
potatoes |
|
„ 24 |
99 |
Iucern |
162 morgens
On these three farms, therefore, the proportion between
the crops was—
Grain. . .
Fodder . .
Market crops
|
A. |
B. |
|
53 |
48 |
|
34 |
37 |
|
13 |
15 |
100 100
C.
52 parts.
30 „
18 „
100
On well-managed soils where two bushels of seed are
sown per morgen, or per English acre, spelt will yield 15
to 16 malters of 115 lbs., or 28 to 30 bushels, as an ave-
rage crop. On the light soils near Seckenheim and
Kirchheim the return is but 11 malters to the morgen.
The yield of rye on good soils is 10 malters of 115 lbs.,
or about 36 bushels, to the acre : oats yield 9 to 10 malters.
Maize is chiefly used for the pigs and poultry. It is
found to exhaust the soil very much, and sells for the
price of rye. Beet-root, estimated at 10,000 plants to
the morgen, is calculated to give 200 cwts. return : the
leaves picked off for the cattle in autumn are esti-
mated at ⅛ of the weight of the roots. Potatoes give
80, sometimes 100, malters per morgen ; turnips, 60 to
75 cwts.