416 HORTUS GRAMINEUS AVOBURNENSIS. 



If the field, from which the turf is to be taken to make the new 

 pasture, is intended to be broken up for a course of tillage crops, 

 then the whole of the turf may be pared off, and employed in 

 forming the new pasture to the required extent. But should the 

 field be required to remain in permanent pasture, a portion only 

 of the turf must be taken from the field, and a sufficiency of the 

 sward, or grass plants, left standing for that purpose. 



In the first of these cases, Mr. Blakie directs a paring-plough 

 to be used ; but if that cannot be conveniently obtained, a 

 common plough, with the coulter and share made very sharp, will 

 answer the purpose ; a wheel-plough is preferable to a swing- 

 plough for paring turfs, because it goes steadier, and cuts the turf 

 more regularly. The turf should be cut about two inches and a 

 half thick, and seven, eight, or nine inches wide, according to the 

 nature of the turf-gage of the plough, and the width of the wing 

 of the share ; it is sometimes cross-cut into short lengths, pre- 

 vious to the operation of paring; but this can only be effected 

 when the turf is moist, and free from stones. The cross-cutting 

 is done by a scarifier with scimetar tines, the convex edges made 

 very sharp, and faced to the work, and the implement heavily 

 weighted, so as to press the tines a proper depth into the turf, 

 into small pieces ; but it gives more trouble, and increases the 

 expense of filling into carts ; for when cut into small pieces, in the 

 first instance, it requires to be filled with shovels, whereas, if left 

 in large flags, it is readily filled with forks or by the hand, when 

 the turf is tough, and hangs together. The turf is taken in carts 

 (if broad wheels so much the better) to the arable land on which 

 it is to be planted, and then dragged out of the cart in heaps, set 

 in straight lines, and at regular distances, in the same manner as 

 dung-heaps are set in fields, and after the rate of fifty single-horse 

 cart-loads to the acre. It is then chopped into pieces of about 

 three inches square, and spread with shovels regularly over the 

 ground. A scarifier with square or round tines, about one inch 

 and a half diameter, and set about one inch and a half apart, or 

 four tines in a yard, is drawn regularly over the field, and again 

 crossed at right angles, which takes out the cart-wheel tracts, 

 levels the ground, and marks out the distances for placing the 

 pieces of turf; but the operation of scarifying cannot be practised 

 when the ground is wet. It is, however, much better when 

 the scarifier can be used, as it not only marks out the dis- 

 tances accurately, but it makes an opening for the reception of 



