392 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



peculiar to mustard. More completely to satisfy myself, I 

 sent a sample to Professor Way, who reported it to contain 

 mustard. 



As dealers now charge a higher price for this material, 

 for food, in comparison with what they charge for it as ma- 

 nure, they are clearly responsible for it being of a quality 

 suitable for food. 



To prevent the cake becoming mouldj', I cover it over 

 with shells of oats which have been kihi-dried — chopped 

 straw, if dry, would equally serve the purpose — by this 

 means its flavour is also preserved. Indeed, by keeping for 

 a time, I find it become milder in taste, and more easy to 

 masticate. 



Management of Grass-land. — In describing the crops or 

 produce adapted for dairy purposes, I think it proper to no- 

 tice my treatment of permanent grass, meadow, and pas- 

 ture. I reside on the borders of a district in Yorkshire, 

 over which you may travel 50 or 60 miles without seeing, 

 except here and there, an isolated patch in tillage, and I 

 am enabled to state from observation, that in this extensive 

 tract of permanent-grass the occupiers depend almost wholly 

 on the excrement of their cattle for maintaining the ferti- 

 lity of their land. Whilst in some of the corn-growing 

 districts the farmers purchase guano or other extra manure 

 at the rate of 2O3. per acre over the whole of their holdings, 

 by far the majority of those in the district I am speaking 

 of (from which a continued deportation of cattle and also 

 of dairy produce takes place), depend wholly for manure on 

 the excrement from their stock, and do not replenish with 

 extra materials. 



As my own treatment of permanent grass differs mate- 

 rially from this, I proceed to describe it and its results. 



My meadows, from their high condition, preserve their 

 verdure through winter; during the month of March, and 

 up to the first week in May, they aflford excellent pasturage 

 for ewes with their lambs, of which they carry at the rate 

 of four per acre till the first week of May, Some portion 

 is left untouched by sheep for early soiling, which I usually 

 commence about the 26th of May. 



From the 20th to the 30th of June my mowing for the 

 main crop of hay usually takes place. The aftermath is 

 again cut either for soiling or for aftermath hay, so that each 

 meadow is mown twice during the season. After the second 

 mowing a nice aftermath grows, which serves for the next 

 year's ewes, which are bought early in October, and turned 

 on the meadows together with their ram. Soon after the 

 ground is clear, the weather being suitable (I prefer it cloudy 

 or wet), the fresh excrement from the tanks under the tails 

 of the animals is carted on and dressed in. The whole of 

 my meadow land gets a dressing of this once a year. The 

 excrement is quite free from straw. I formerly procured 

 peat soil to mix with to neutralize the smell ; but am at 

 present using for that purpose scrapings which are carted 

 on, free of charge, by the conservators of the roads. Both 

 for soiling and as aftermath the grass thus dressed is eaten 

 with relish. 



I find little difficulty in getting manure of this kind into 

 the ground. During warm, moist weather, when the ab- 

 sorbent powers of the soil are in full activity, the whole 

 dressing soon disappears, I have known the cocksfoot- 

 grass, the property of which for quick growth as aftermath 

 is well-known, attain a height of 3 feet in five or six weeks 

 after mowing. 



In addition to this yearly dressing with excrement, I ap- 

 ply guano at the rate of 2 cwt. to each acre. I do this usu- 

 ally in the spring. I have, however, thought that I derived 



equal, if not greater, benefit from its application in very 

 wet weather in November. The growth during March was 

 sensibly greater than on adjacent land on which the guano 

 was not applied till April ; and the main crop of hay was 

 certainly not less than on that dressed in April. 



Mode of Hay-making. — As the process of hay-making 

 differs so much, and is in some districts so inefficiently per- 

 formed, I venture to describe the method I am using, and 

 to which I give my personal attention. No farm operation 

 requires greater care than securing the hay crop. 



Till lately I deferred mowing the grass till it was in 

 flower. In the year 1856 I cut it before flowering time. 

 Though this early cut grass shrinks more in the stack, yet 

 I find it weigh proportionably heavier. It is not unusual 

 for a square yard cut from the solid part of one of my stacks 

 to weigh 30 stone imperial : I have known it exceed this. 

 The solid part of a small stack of aftermath hay from seven 

 acres of this season's growth weighed 2G stone imperial. I 

 find it of advantage to employ a full complement of hay- 

 makers. In travelling through the country I have seen but 

 one haymaker employed where I should have half-a-dozen. 

 I find six haymakers, if fully employed, earn their 12s. to 

 14s, for one day far better than a single man would earn 

 the same sum in six days. 



The haymaking or tedding machine has in my practice 

 superseded the expensive operation of spreading by hand. 

 When the grass has been spread a sufficient time, the hay- 

 makers turn it with their hand-rakes from the sun or wind. 

 At the close of the day the grass or hay is raked together 

 in rows ; the space between each row is left quite bare. In 

 this state it remains overnight, to prevent the bleaching 

 effects of the falling dew and the moisture from the ground. 

 Earlj' in the morning, as soon as tbe bare ground between 

 the rows is di-y, the haymakers turn over the rows, the un- 

 der side of which, and the ground on which they have laid, 

 are completely wet from checked evaporation. This opera- 

 tion of turning is easily performed, and well repays the 

 labour. When the ground is dry the tedding machine is 

 set to work, and the turning and drying are repeated. 

 When the weather is at all doubtful we resort to the lap or 

 shake cock, in making which the haymaker gathers up an 

 armful, say 8 ^o 10 lbs. of partly dried grass, and lets it fall 

 lightly on a heap. He then thrusts his hands under the 

 heap, lifts and folds it without pressing, and sets the heap 

 quite light!}'' on the ground with the end towards the wind : 

 in appearance it is not unlike a lady's muff of large size. 

 It is a common saying, that well-made lap-cocks will stand 

 a fortnight's rain free from damage. Without subscribing 

 to this, I have no hesitation in stating, that in no form does 

 partlj'-dried grass keep so well as in lap-cock. The rain 

 falling on a lap-cock ia thrown off in a somewhat similar 

 manner as from an umbrella. I never recollect finding a 

 well-made lap-cock thoroughly wetted. 



By the mode I have described I accelerate the process 

 of haymaliing ; and it is by no means uncommon for me to 

 secure my crop in less than half the time required by my 

 neighbours. On the hay becoming sufficiently dry, it is 

 formed into wind-rows and then drawn together by a sweep 

 into large pikes of about three loads each, with conical 

 tops, which are slightly thatched with straw.* When the 

 pikes have undergone a partial sweating, they are carted 

 away and well intermixed in stacking. This pikeing 

 before stacking I find quite necessary with my rich quick- 



* Thatching the pikes is unnecessary, except in a district 

 where m.ore than an average fall of rain occurs. — Edit, 



