1803. On laying land down with grafs -feeds, i^c, 175 



TO THE CONDi.CTOR OF THE FARMEr's MAGAZINE. 



On laying land down with grajs feeds, and ohfervations onhoufe 



Lamb. 



Sir, 



It is now well known, that land which has been long in til- 

 lage cannot be better improven, or at a cheaper rate, than by 

 laying it into paflure grafs, a few years. This lyftem you have 

 earneftly recommended in the courfe of your publication ; for 

 which reafon, I (hall only fay, that you cannot put your readers 

 too often in mind of it, as great numbers ftill go on in the old 

 beaten track. What 1 n^can by troubling you at this time, is, 

 to fuggefl a few hints that may be ufeful to fuch as are only 

 beginning the grazing buhnefs. 



Before grafs feeds are fown, every field ought to be made as 

 clear of root-weeds as pollible ; and fummer fallow, turnips, or 

 potatoes, are the bed preparations. If the land is good, af- 

 ter fummer fallow a very (light dungi-ig is fuiTicient ; a full 

 dreffing may endanger the giafs, by making the grain crop 

 lodge. It is pofitively neceflary to have plenty of plants, per- 

 haps 20 lb. of the different kinds of clover, with a bulliel of good 

 clean rye-grafs, may be a proper quantity of feeds for an acre. 

 The clovers may be proportioned to fuit different foils. If the 

 grain crop is very thick, early cutting is of great fervice to tlie 

 young grafs; very much damage is fuftained by fuch a crop 

 {landing a few days longer than is necelTary. Feeding flieep on 

 the grafs is better for enriching the lai:id than black cattle ; and, 

 perhaps, taking an average of years, fully as profitable. 



If the autumn is dry, and a great luxuriance of young grafs 

 appears, it may be eaten a little down before .bad weather fets in j 

 but it mud not be poached on any account, nor muft flieep get 

 on it in winter, though ever fo dry, for they will deftroy all the 

 broad clov^er altogether. It is a very great error to put a full 

 flock on grafs during the fpring months ; perhaps a backward 

 feafon fets in, after fuch a itock has been bought in, and then in 

 place of feeding, they barely fubfift, befides running the rilk of 

 breaking the fences, to the great trouble and difappointment of 

 the owner. But when a light Hock is put to grafs, it is fure to 

 feed well ; and by the month of June the grafs has got fo h.c 

 a-head, that it commonly holds out all the feafon, even with 

 a very full ftock. 



Nothing improves grafs land more than top dreeing. If the 

 land has not been limed lately, a good dofe of that very valuable 

 manure will be found highly beneficial, l)ci]i to the grds and 



'i' t 2 alier 



