104 



IRISH GARDENING 



Reviews* 

 Grass Land and Ploughed Land. 



A PAPER on this all-important subject has been 

 published as a Supplement to the May number 

 of the Journal of the Board of Agriculture. The 

 writer, Mr. 11. (t. Stapledon, M.A., Adviser in 

 Agricultural Botany, University College of Wales, 

 though dealing exclusively with conditions pre- 

 vailing in Great Britain, gives many interesting 

 facts whicli we, in Ireland, could peruse with 



ment of grass land, without actually ploughing 

 it, are summarised as follows : — (1) Top-dressing, 

 (2) renovating mixtures, (3) altered inethods of 

 stocking, (4) substituting pasture for meadow 

 conditions or the reverse, (5) eradication of weeds, 

 (6) drainage. 



Basic slag was found to be, in general, the 

 most suitable top-dressing, thovigh. in some cases. 

 Superphosphate and Lime, or Superphosphate 

 alone, gave better results. 



These manures encourage leguminous plants, 

 chief among which is White Clover. 



A similar method of improving grass land has 

 given a similar result almost all over Ireland. 



;5-y*i. 





Ife^ 





Allotments in Belfast, HArtLAND and Wolff's Yai;i) in the 1)istan(E. 



(See " Notes " in Inst issue.) 



profit. An endeavour has been made to show 

 that by ploughing up large areas of iioor grass, the 

 farmer has the opportunity of converting inferior 

 grazing into productive temporary leys, and by 

 adopting a more intensive sj-stem of farming he 

 may, besides growing an extended acreage of 

 corn, add considerably to his cattle output. This, 

 the author contends, may be accomplished by 

 paying sufficient attention to the seed mixtures 

 used, and, at the same time, to the improvement 

 of the remaining permanent grass. A large area 

 of poor second rate grass land is to be found in 

 Ireland, as well as in England, that could be 

 ploughed with advantage both to the owner and 

 to the State. 



The methods recommended for the improve- 



Dealing with " Renovating Mixtures," the 

 author states that " a renovating mixture is 

 probably only justified on fields where top- 

 dressings are unable to establish a development 

 of leguminous herbs." 



Wild White Clover is the principal ingredient 

 of these mixtures. In a few instances in Ireland 

 this method has been tried with success. 



To keep grazing land in good condition it should 

 be stocked, if at all possible, with cattle as well 

 as sheep. 



The writer goes on to state : " It is often said 

 that permanent fields should be put aside as 

 either pasture or meadows." This is vindoubtedly 

 a sound practice on fertile soils, and where the 

 management is good. On j)Oor soils, but slightly 



