THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



313 



ing to the care it has been got up with ? How 

 infinitely better then is this plan, compared to what 

 we hope some day to see entirely exploded, viz., of 

 accepting from the old dealer his idea of the value, 

 and the giving of the same price in localities, let 

 them be ill or well washed. In saying this, let me 

 not be misunderstood by a highly intelligent and 

 gentlemanly class of dealers, who have long occu- 

 pied the wool field — that I wish to take the butter 

 off their bread, and perhaps their bread as well. I 

 wish even to show them that sales would decidedly 

 be to their advantage, and why. Look at the 

 enormous expense they are put to, in travelling the 

 country; whereas at sales they would get what they 

 requirecl, with a tithe of the trouble and no expense ; 

 they would thereby be better remunerated by re- 

 ceiving a commission for so buying. Have we less 

 intelligence than our American and Australian 

 neighbours, who have long seen the advantage of 

 sales ? Certainly not ! Still we are only waking 

 up to appreciate what they have long enjoyed and 



benefited by in purse. Sales are now springing up 

 in all quarters ; but unless one general central 

 market be adopted, it is easy to predict the issue ; 

 and another fallacy is the frequency of the sales. 

 To suit all, more particularly the buyers from dis- 

 tant parts, set periods, such as the London practice, 

 should be adopted, and we will ever endeavour to 

 advance with the times in lending our aid to im- 

 prove every method that will tell to the benefit of 

 the grower. In conclusion, allow me to thank you 

 for this opportunity of expressing my opinions, and 

 as I was an aspirant to the enviable position of an 

 agriculturist under the able tuition of Mr. Steedman 

 of Boghall, I am proud of the opportunity of meet- 

 ing so many intelhgent cultivators of the soil. 



The following members also took part in the 

 discussion — Mr. Douglas, xVthelstaneford ; Mr. R. 

 ScotSkirving, Campton; Mr.Durie, Standingstane, 

 &c. The discussion ultimately was adjourned till 

 next meeting, so that Mr. Harper's views on the 

 subject might be obtained. 



THE MANAGEMENT OF GRASS LAND. 



1. The best mode of Laying down Land 

 TO Permanent Grass, &c. 



In laying down land to permanent pasture, the 

 first point to be attended to is its thorough and 

 efficient drainage; for without this all-important 

 preliminary, no matter how the other operations 

 are conducted, disappointment will finally ensue. 

 AVe need not enter into any lengthened account of 

 the manner in which draining is performed, for 

 the details are generally well known; but this 

 much we must say — the drains ought not to be 

 less than four feet deep, and, as a (jeneral rule, not 

 more than 21 feet apart. We are aware that there 

 are many persons who do not consider it necessary 

 to drain pasture land, or what is intended to 

 become such, as ^closely as they would do land 

 intended to be under regular cropping ; but we 

 consider this to be mistaken policy. Unless the 

 land is naturally dry, it must be rendered so 

 artificially; for if this is not done, coarse grasses 

 will displace those finer descriptions which may be 

 sown, and coarse grasses are always innutritious. 

 Taking it for granted that the land intended to 

 be laid down in permanent grasses has previously 

 been under a lengthened course of rather severe 

 cropping, combined with, perhaps, careless general 

 management, we would beg to detail the steps 

 which we have in many instances of this kmd 

 adopted, for the purpose of preparing and finally 

 laying down the land to grass. 



After draining, and when the surface soil is 

 shallow and the subsoil retentive, it is of the 

 utmost consequence to deepen it by subsoiling. 

 We have had experience of land being laid down 

 to grass both with and without subsoiling ; and in 

 every instance where it was omitted, if the subsoil 

 was of a retentive character, we have invariably 

 been led to attach a greater amount of importance 

 to this operation. We have deepened land by 



means of the subsoil plough, and also by manual 

 labour ; and although in the latter case the expense 

 was considerable, still we found it] remunerative. 

 Generally speaking, however, the subsoil plough 

 will be found sufficient to answer the purpose. 

 Subsoiling must in no case whatever be put in the 

 room of or used as a substitute for draining, as it 

 has been done by some persons. This would only 

 lead to disappointment, and very likely to under- 

 valuing what is in reality a most important opera- 

 tion when properly performed) and in its proper 

 time and place. 



The eradication of weeds is indispensably neces- 

 sary, and it is impossible to be too careful and 

 minute in conducting this preliminary operation. 

 When the land is very foul it may be necessary to 

 resort to a bare fallow, particularly when the grass 

 seeds are to be sown in autumn. At the same 

 time, even very foul land may be cleaned during 

 the preparatory operations for a root crop, and in 

 the summer culture of the same. By this, we 

 mean turnips or mangel wurzel, drilled or (as it is 

 denominated in manyparts of England) ridged,from 

 twenty- seven to thirty inches apart: any closer 

 intervals will not permit the horse-hoe and grubber 

 to act efficiently. When a root crop is grown, 

 the grass seeds cannot be sown until the following 

 spring. In the case of potatoes, indeed, the crop 

 may be removed in time to permit sowing in 

 autumn ; but unless the land is already tolerably 

 free from weeds, potatoes do not answer well as a 

 preparatory crop, so far as the eradication of the 

 weeds is concerned, because the potato must be 

 planted at so early a period in spring as to prevent 

 a thorough cleaning of foul land. When the 

 autumn cleaning of stubbles can be carried properly 

 into effect, preparatory to growing a crop of 

 potatoes, then such a crop will be found very 

 favourable indeed to the growth of sown grasses. 

 In whatever mode the eradication of weeds is 



