‘- 
4 
f 
L 2 
then made perfectly dry, and laid up for a hay crop. 
Six weeks are ufually fufficient for the growth of 
the crop. It feldom requires eight; and there 
have been inftances of great crops being produced 
in five. 
Nature of water meadow bay.—The hay of water 
meadows, being frequently large and coarfe in its 
nature, it is neceflary to cut it young; and if made 
well, it then becomes of a peculiarly nourifhing 
_ milky quality, either for ewes or dairy cows. 
The water meadows are laid up for a fecond 
crop, in fome infiances; but this is only ufual when 
hay is fcarce: not that it is fuppofed to hurt the 
land, but the hay is of that herbaceous foft na- 
ture, and takes fo long time in drying, that it is 
feldom well made. It is ufually of much greater 
value to be fed ,with dairy cows. And for that 
purpofe a fluth of after-grafs, fo early and fo rank, 
will be precifely of the fame comparative fervice to 
_ the dairy, as the fpring feed has been defcribed to 
be for ewes and lambs. 
The cows remain in the meadows till the drowzey 
begins to prepare for the winter watering. 
Water meadows Jafe for foeep in pring, but will rot 
them in autumn.—Water meadows are reckoned to 
be perfectly fafe for theep in the fpring, even upon 
land that would rot fheep if it were not watered, 
but in the autumn the beft water meadows are fup- 
‘poled to be dangerous. This is at prefent an in- 
explicability 
