208 BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. 



Once seeded down, let them remain seeded forever." In 

 relation to that, I beg leave to differ, and I will give you my 

 reasons. Let us have as many minds at work upon this sub- 

 ject as possible. Perhaps we are mistaken. I do not believe 

 that the Board of Agriculture, or any one of us, know it all. 

 I think we have a great deal to learn, but I think there are 

 some things we do know. Now, in relation to the ploughing 

 of grass-lands : Do you believe there is anything in tillage ? 

 Does it do the soil any good to plough it, to pulverize it, to 

 break it up and expose it to the air? Does it help your fields 

 upon which you grow corn to plough them, to pulverize them, 

 to till them thoroughly? If it does, why will it not help 

 your grass-field to treat its soil thus, especially if that grass- 

 field shall have for its soil a clay ? Will it not do that soil 

 good to let the air into it, to warm it, and set the chemical 

 forces at work to develop the plant-food it contains? If 

 there is any truth in the theory of the value of fertilization 

 and tillage, can we not apply it to the grass-crop, and thus 

 reap the advantage? The objection you urge is this : "When 

 we plough up our grass-fields, our mowing-lots, — where we 

 grow the fine grass which will make our cattle sleek, and 

 make such milk as the grass from these mowing-lands will 

 make, — when we plough them up, seed them dowu, we. put 

 in artificial grasses, herdsgrass and clover, and these will not 

 make such good milk as the natural grasses, and we find there 

 are a great many vacant spaces not filled with plants ; " there- 

 fore the Board of Agriculture has said : " It is not best to 

 plough them up, for the grass is not so good, and it takes a 

 long time to get that full and close covering of herbage which 

 would be there, provided it was not ploughed." Now, if 

 there is anything in the principles of tillage and cultivation, 

 if it does the soil good to pulverize it, then these fields ought 

 to be ploughed occasionally, especially those which have clay 

 in them. The constant tramping upon these fields to gather 

 the hay, and the attraction of gravitation and cohesion greatly 

 solidify them, especially clay soil, and they become hard, and 

 notwithstanding your top-dressing, by and by your hay-field 

 actually begins to fail, and on goes a greater quantity of 

 manure, because you dislike to plough it up. Now, my ex- 

 pei'ience and observation are, that there is no grass-land in 



