256 HORTUS r, RAMINEIIS WOBURNENSIS. 



It is usual to leave off depasturing the meadows about the 

 beginning of May; when the water is again admitted, to 

 prepare the land for a crop of hay. Two days' flooding at 

 this season is all that the land can receive without injury ; 

 it is then laid dry, and the process may be said to be finished 

 for that season. Six weeks is usually sufficient to produce 

 the crop of hay, — so rapid is vegetation in these meadows. 



The following is a statement of the produce of a water- 

 meadow of nine acres, belonging to his Grace the Duke of 

 Bedford : — 



1803. Stocked with twelve score sheep, and it kept them 

 three weeks. 



April 16. Shut up for hay. 



June 23. Cut the crop for hay, supposed to be about two 

 tons per acre. 



August 20. Cut the second crop for hay, supposed to be 

 about one ton and a half per acre. 



September 16. Stocked it with four score of fat sheep : 

 three weeks after that it was depastured with lean bullocks, 

 as long and as often as they could find food. 



1804. February 27. Stocked with eight score and four 

 lamb hogs; they have now (April 28, the time this account 

 was drawn up) been nine weeks in it. It had more and 

 better water this last winter than that before ; but from the 

 want of grass upon the farm, it was in this instance eaten 

 longer than it otherwise would have been. 



Valuation. 



1803. March 29. Two hundred and forty sheep £. s. d. 

 three weeks, at 6c?. per head 18 5 



Spring food per acre, at 2/. 



June 23. Eighteen tons of hay, at 4/ 72 



August 20. Thirteen and a half ditto, at 4/ 56 



September 16. Eighty fat sheep, three weeks, 



at4(/ 4 



Lean bullocks. 



£.150 5 



1804. February 27. One hundred and sixty-four 

 hog-sheep, nine weeks, at bd 30 15 



Spring food per acre, 3/. ^s. Ad. 



