. 
[ a3 3 
ftock farmer than this, if properly managed; it is 
very early, and aflords a great quantity of excellent 
keep before any other paftures will carry flocks: a 
ground of it, hined the preceding Michaelmas, kept 
‘eight ewes with their lambs per acre for one month 
daft fpring, before any other pafture was ready for 
them. It is very nourifhing, and grateful to all 
kinds of ftock; as may be feen where they have a 
choice of that and other paftures to run in, the na- 
tural paftures will be quite neglected, whilft the ray 
grafs will be pared clofe to the ground: indeed it 
requires to be hard ftocked; for if fuffered to get 
a-head, it is neither fo palatable nor nourifhing; it 
is equally excellent for hay, if cut juft as the ear 
appears, and before it is fully formed; in the au- 
tumn, it likewife affords a great deal of keep. It 
rather improves with age, and has been found par- 
ticularly advantageous in laying land down to per- 
manent pafture. Jt has not been a general practice, 
with the farmers on thefe hills, to raife their ray 
grafs feed; the deficiency of natural paftures, and 
the large flocks of fheep kept, making the lays va- 
luable both for hay and pafture; this has occa- 
fioned rather a fcarcity of feed of late years, and 
been the means of introducing very inferior forts 
from other countries, of which fome have proved 
ftriély annual, producing a tolerable crop the firft 
year, but dying away the following winter; whilft 
that of longer duration has been found very ur- 
productive, 
