GRASS-LAND AND ARABLE 121 



rainfall are in the main capable of producing good 

 and remunerative grass. It has not been sufficiently 

 appreciated, however, that grass production and crop 

 production are not incompatible, or that under certain 

 conditions artificial or prepared grass may be far more 

 productive than permanent or so-called permanent 

 grass. 



Much as may be said for the merits of cattle and 

 milk production on purely arable lines, it will always 

 be most economical, if not absolutely essential, to 

 depend largely on grass in districts of high rainfall. 

 This brings me to a discussion of the theory of the 

 temporary ley, and to a detailed consideration of some 

 of the problems to be solved if the temporary ley is 

 really to come into its own, and to replace, as I think 

 it ultimately will, even our famous fattening pas- 

 tures, the land devoted to which should yield both 

 bountiful arable crops and productive temporary leys. 

 By a temporary ley I mean a field that is seeded down 

 to grass artificially and so left for about four years, 

 and then re-broken and put through a course of tillage 

 again. This is, of course, a procedure often adopted 

 on certain fields, but not usually as a part of a well- 

 considered working plan on which the whole economy 

 of the farm is based. A temporary ley has failed in 

 its purpose unless, firstly, it has established itself 

 rapidly; secondly, it has been uniformly productive 

 throughout the whole of its short life; thirdly, that 

 when it comes to be broken the residues considerably 

 add to the fertility of the field for the benefit of sub- 

 sequent corn and root crops; fourthly, that it makes 

 a clean and weedless arable field; and, fifthly, that the 

 aggregate produce from the field whilst in grass is as 

 great or greater than would have been the "keep' 

 from the same field had it been left under permanent 

 grass. 



