THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



17 



ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF INFERIOR GRASS LANDS. 



A large portion of the country is lying in permanent 

 pasture and meadow. An excursion through tlie provinces 

 cannot fail of impressing the mind of the tourist with a 

 conviction of this, also that the management of such lands 

 enters largely into the practical agriculture of Britain. 



Much of this land is not in a very profitable state of hus- 

 bandry ; its annual return j-ielding little to the landowner, 

 and less to the tenant. Indeed, if the latter had the 

 whole to himself, it would be but a poor concern, in very 

 many cases. 



Geologically a large extent of this inferior pastiu'c and 

 meadow land cannot be pronounced unproductive na- 

 turally. On the contraiy, much of it, if under a different 

 system of management, woidd yield abundant crops of 

 every kind, and fair profits on capital. In other words, it 

 is capable of being improved, so as to become profitable 

 to both landlord and tenant. 



The cause of this unprofitable state of such lands be- 

 comes thus an interesting subject of inquiry, with a view 

 to its removal. Originally there may have been little to 

 indicate the diflerence that now exists between them and 

 other lands, yielding fine crops of hay, and a fuU bite of 

 rich grass to cattle. It may be, the former was the most 

 promising of the two soils ; but now the tables are turned, 

 the reverse being experienced. By what train of facts 

 then do we arrive at this conclusion? What is it that has 

 kept up the fertility of the one to a profitable level, and 

 lowered that of the other below it? 



These are questions which must ever remain sur- 

 rounded with much obscurity. At the same time the 

 grasses in every case indicate their present state of 

 health sufficiently plain to tell us that pathological and hy- 

 geinic differences exist between them and those growing 

 in our richest meadows and pastures, and that we have 

 to bring these to a common standard before we can attain 

 to equality as to profitable husbandry. 



The successful growth of the grasses is as much a mat- 

 ter of health individually and collectively as the growth 

 of cattle. We know very well that when the ox does 

 not thrive he does not pay his keep : the same is 

 true of the sheep, the horse, and all our live stock. And 

 what is thus true of individuals, is also true of whole herds 

 and flocks: upon their sanitary condition depends the 

 farmer's profit. By a similar train of ratiocination we 

 arrive at a similar conclusion relative to the grasses. 

 Every single grass-plant is, lilce the ox, a living being, or 

 organism, paying for its keep just in proportion as it 

 thrives. And as it is with every grass-plant individually, 

 so it is with all the grass plants in the field : as they tluive 

 they pay the farmer. 



Apart from consecutive considerations, these are very 

 simple premises, leading to equally self-evident con- 

 clusions ; but when we enter a field of pasture where cat- 

 tle are grazing, and begin to investigate their application, 

 we meet ydth circumstances neither so very simple nor 

 yet self-evident, especially in reference to the grasses. 



Confining our observations to that class of pasture and 

 meadow-land yielding an inferior quality of grasses, we 

 have consequently, along with bad pasture, cattle also not 

 in a thriving or profitable condition. On examining the 

 latter, we at onee, and vei7 justly, conclude that their 



poverty arises from the inferior quality of the pasture. 

 The best of it is " bad feeding ground," while the greatest 

 extent will only carry the worst kind of store beast, or a 

 few sheep. Before we can produce butcher-meat, or dairy 

 produce for market, large qiiantities of corn and cake 

 must be consumed, and then the result is more frequently 

 loss than profit to the grazier. 



On commencing the examination of the grass-plants in- 

 dividually, in oi-der to ascertain the reason why those of a 

 good quality are not tlmving, and those of a bad are pros- 

 pering luxuriantly, there may be in many instances no little 

 difficulty experienced in arriving at a satisfactory con- 

 clusion, owing t6 that part of the plant upon which its 

 health principally depends being below ground, and hence 

 unseen. Under such circumstances we must either draw 

 haphazai-d conclusions, or else proceed to break up the 

 ground, in order to look below the surface for the facts of 

 the case. 



Although experience may enable us to form a pretty 

 accurate conclusion as to the sanitary condition of grasses 

 from appearances above-ground, yet the more adnsable 

 course is to examine the whole jplant, more especially that 

 part of it — i.e., the roots — upon which its health chiefly 

 depends, as this will enable us the better to avoid erro- 

 neous jiidgment relative to the best means of improving 

 the pasture. To supply manure or top-dressing of any 

 kind before we are certain as to the pathology of the best 

 grasses — those whose health we wish to improve — is, to say 

 the least of it, short-sighted policy, often leading to very 

 heavy losses. We have tried experiments with guano and 

 other artificial manures, as well as with farm-yard manure 

 to such lands, but never with a satisfactory result. The 

 cases are few, and exceptional in character, where manure 

 can be advantageously applied to pastui-e or meadow lands 

 where the roots of the finest gi-asses are not in a healthy 

 state, but where weeds and sour herbage luxuriate. 



The dissection of the ground, mth a view to ascertain 

 the sanitary condition of the roots of grasses, is a very 

 nice operation, one requiring no little skill, patience, and 

 perseverance to perfonn it successfully. This arises no 

 less from the great depth to which the roots of grasses 

 often go, than from the manner they are matted and inter- 

 woven amongst each other, the roots of the fine grasses 

 being entwined with those of the bad, while there is 

 always a large portion of both in an effete and decaying 

 condition; But, however numerous and gi-eat may be the 

 difficulties experienced, the work should be prosecuted 

 with the gi-eatest care, until satislactory results are ob- 

 tained under the microscope. 



Among the more common causes of unhealthy grasses 

 may be enumerated imperfect aeration of the soil. A 

 proper supply of pure air is essentially necessary to 

 healthy vegetation, no less below the surface of the soil 

 than above it. The roots require air as well as the leaves ; 

 and unless they receive the necessary supply, they be- 

 come sickly, tdtimately djdng and giving place to those 

 for which the soil may be better fitted. 



A vei7 large and diversified class of grass-lands is im- 

 perfectly aerated. They are generally denominated clay 

 soils, but in many cases there is not much clay in them. 

 , They are also generally subject to the extremes of drought 



