104 Agriculture of Durham. 



some parts of tho county much too small. In the neighbourhood 

 of Gateshead, and up the Kavensworth Vale, there are good 

 fields of old grass ; but it is in the southern part of the county 

 that the best meadows and pastures are to be found. In the 

 Staindrop district the farms are nearly equally divided between 

 grass and tillage. In other parts one-third only of the lands are 

 in grass, and in some there is a still smaller proportion. Where 

 the old grass lands are mown they receive a top-dressing of 

 manure, generally al^out 15 cart loads to the acre. It is usual to 

 mow and pasture an old grass field alternately. The average of 

 the hay crop is generally \h tons per acre. The fog or after- 

 math is pastured. It is very common near the principal towns, 

 where a number of milch cows are kept by the inhabitants, for 

 the farmer to receive stints into his pastures. From 65. to 125. 

 per week is paid for a cow, according to the season or condition 

 of the grass. The quantity of land considered necessary for a 

 stint is about lA- acres, and it was usual to reckon the number of 

 cattle a farmer should possess by the number of stints his pastures- 

 would carry ; but this is no longer a criterion since stall or farm- 

 yard feeding came so much into use. As I have frequently had 

 occasion to point out that, in particular localities in this county, 

 the proportion of permanent pasture is too small, I have been led. 

 to give some attention to tlie laying down of land to grass ; and 

 particularly to an endeavour to ascertain, in several instances, 

 the causes which have led to a failure of the seeds. The grass 

 seeds are almost always sown away with a grain crop ; and it is 

 not an unusual thing, soon after the crop of wheat has been 

 cleared off the ground, to find that the grass will not be worth 

 allowing to lie. The causes of failure have been, bad soil ; the 

 ground not sufficiently pulverised ; the seed too deeply harrowed 

 in, or perhaps too little seed sown. It is common to sow only 

 ryegrass and clover, but where a little extra expense would not 

 be grudged, it is far better to sow a greater variety of kinds, as 

 we thereby make a failure less probable and secure a succession 

 of fresh herbage throughout the year. 



Tlie following are the grass seeds often sown in this county, 

 with the cost per acre : — • 



1 bushel rye-gi-ass £0 n 6 



16 lbs. red clover, at 7i/ 09 4 



4 lbs. white clover, at 8 J 2 8 



4 lbs. rib-grass, at 5c^ 1 8 



£0 19 2 

 And the following is a selection of seeds recommended to me 

 by my friend Mr. Drummond, an eminent seedsman in Stirling.. 

 I have used this myself with such marked success that I venture- 

 to give the list here : — 



