150 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



fencing. Upon this point, Thaer* very justly remarks — " the di- 

 Tision of pasture land into separate portions, Avbetlier these portions 

 are close together or situated at considerable distances from each 

 other, and the practice of successively turning the different kinds of 

 cattle on to these divisions and then leaving the herbage to recover 

 itself, is a system which possesses decided advantages over the prac- 

 tice of suffering the cattle to wander over the whole extent of the 

 pasture ground. Cattle which are always confined in small spaces, 

 do not spoil so great a portion of the herbage with their feet, as if 

 they had more space to graze over. The grass is consequently uni- 

 formly eaten off from the whole of the ground and then left to 

 recover itself But when the cattle are allowed to roam over a large 

 extent of pasturage, some parts remain untouched, and then the 

 grass grows old and hard, while from others the herbage is cropped 

 so close that it can scarcely shoot up again. Cattle are more quiet 

 in confined pastures, and quietness is highly advantageous to them. 



In using pasture ground, it is moreover necessary not to crowd 

 it with a greater number of cattle than it can properly and ad- 

 vantageously support. When too great a number of cattle are 

 turned upon the pasture, vegetation is checked ; the plants have not 

 time to attain their full growth ; the cattle bite off the tops of them 

 and then tear them up by the roots. On the other hand, it is 

 equally injurious to a pasture for too small a number of cattle to be 

 turned on it to graze. The effect of this is not only to diminish the 

 utility of the pasture and the return that it yields^ but tends to 

 impoverish it. Under such circumstances the herbage shoots up in 

 great luxuriance, and many plants appear, which the cattle will not 

 eat after they have attained any hight. These plants become 

 strong and multiply, while the finer kinds of herbage, those best 

 adapted for pasturage, disappear."' 



The jDlan of stocking partially exhausted lands with sheep, with a 

 view to assist in their renovation, was alluded to in an article on 

 that subject in my report for 1857, and I venture now to repeat a 

 single paragraph in connection with the present remarks upon pas- 

 tures. The peculiar advantages which they afford for this purpose 

 are thus stated : The sheep of all domestic animals is the least dainty 



♦Principles of Agriculture. 



