l8oo. On the Benefits of Water Meadows, 325 



The length of this Autumn watering cannot always be 

 determined, as it depends on fituations and circumRances ; 

 but if water can be commanded in plenty, the rule is, to give 

 it a " thorough good foaking" at firft, perhaps a fortnight or 

 thre6 weeks, with a dry interval of a day or two, and fome- 

 times two fortnights, with a dry interval of a week, and then 

 the works are made as dry as p( flible, to encourage the 

 growth of the grafa. This firft foaking is to make the land 

 fink, and pitch clofe together ; a circumftance of great con- 

 fcquence, not only to the quantilyy but to the quality of the 

 grafs, and particularly to encourage the (liooting of the new 

 roots which the grafs is continually forming, to fupport the 

 forced growth above 



While the grafs grows freely, a frcfh watering is not want- 

 ed ; but, as foon as it flags, the watering may be repeated for 

 a few days at a time, whenever there is an opportunity of 

 getting water ; always keeping this fundamental rule in view, . 

 *' To make the meadoivs a^ dry as plfftble between every ivater- 

 ** itig ;" and to '• JIop the water the moment the appearance of 

 ** any fcnm on the land Jlieivs that it has already had water e- 

 '' mitghr 



Some meadows that will b^ar the water three weeks in Oc- 

 tober, November, or December, will perhaps not bear it a 

 week in February or March, and fometimes fcarcely two days 

 in April or May. 



In the catch me-jdows watered by fprings, the great obje£l 

 is to keep the *' works of them " as dry as poflible between 

 the intervals of watering ; and, as fuch fituations are feldom 

 affefled by floods, and generally have too little water, care is 

 necefTary to make the mofl of the water, by catching and 

 roufing it as often as polTible ; and as the top-works of every 

 tier or pitch will be liable to get more of the water than thofe 

 lower down, care fhould be taken to give to the latter a longer 

 time, fo as to make them as equal as polTible. 



Ctijlom of feeding meadows withfoeep. — It has already been 

 faid, that the great obj^<Sl, in this diftricfl:, of an early crop of 

 water meadow grafs, is, to enable the farmer to breed early 

 lambs. 



As foon as the lambs are able to travel with the ewes, (per- 

 haps about the middle of March), they begin to feed the wa- 

 ter meadows. Care is, or ought to be taken, to make the 

 meadows as dry as pofTible, for fome diys before the fheep 

 are let in. 



Ffs The 



