3l6 On the Benefit of Water Meadows. July 



The p;rTfs is hurdleH out daily in portions, according: to 

 what the number of fh-^ep can c-M in a ('ay, to prevent their 

 trampling the reft -, a*- the fame time, .leaving a few open 

 fpaces in the hurdle^ for the lamhs to get through, and feed 

 forward in the frefh graf-^. One acre of good grass will be 

 fufhcient for five hundred couples for a day. 



On account of the quick'nfs of this pr:ifs, it is not ufaal to 

 allow v'le ewpR and lambs to go inm it with empty bellies, nor 

 before the dew is off' in the morning. 



The hours of feeding are ufually from ten to eleven o'clock 

 in the morning, to about four or five in the evening, when the 

 Iheep are driven to fold ; the fold being generally, at that time 

 of the year, (as has been mentioned before), on the barley 

 fallow. And the great objc6l is to have water-mead grafsj 

 fufEcient for the ewes and lambs, till the barley fowing is 

 ended. 



Meadows laid up for hay. — As focn as this firft crop of 

 grafs is eaten off by the ewes and la^nbs, the water is imme- 

 diately thrown over the meadows, ( -t this time of the v^ar* 

 two or three days over ** each pitch," is generally fnfHcient) 

 and it is then made perfe£lly dry, and laid up for a hay crop. 

 Six weeks art ufually fufhcienr for the growth of the crop. 

 It feldom requires eight -, and there have been inftances of 

 grafs crops being producer^ in five. 



Nature of water meadow hay.-^The hay of water mea- 

 dows, dfing frequently large and coarfe in its nature, it is ne- 

 ceffary to cut it y^ung ; and, if made well, it then becomes 

 of a peculiarly nourifliing m.ilky quality, either for ewes or 

 dairy cows. 



The water meadows are laid up for a fecond crop, in some 

 instances i but this is only ufual when hay is fcarce : not that 

 it is fuppofed to hurt the lan1, but the, hay is of that herba- 

 ceous foft nature, and takes fo long time in drying, that it is 

 feldom well made. It is ufually of much greater value to be 

 fed with d iry cows. And, for that purpofe, a flufli of after- 

 grafs, fo early and fo rank, will be precifely of the fame com- 

 parative fervice to the dairy, as the Spring feed has been de- 

 fcribed to be for ewes and lambs. 



The cows remain in the meadows till the " drowner" be- 

 gins to prepare for the Winter watering. 



Water meadows safe for sheep in Spring, hut will rot them in 

 Jliitumn. — Water meadows are reckoned to be perfectly lafe' 

 for (heep in the Spring, even upon land that wouid rot {lieep 

 if it was not watered j but, in the Autum.n, the befl: water 



meadov/s 



