in ivhich tJie Clay greatlij predominates, 57 



be answered by its being the foundation of all the advan- 

 tages which I have so minutely detailed, yet I must urge 

 the necessity of this operation as the sine qua von of agri- 

 cultural improvement ; and add, that though the particular 

 method of surface-draining strong clays and of clayey loams, 

 where tlie substratum was less retentive of water, has proved 

 both cheap and effectual, yet in all bogs, peats, gravels, or 

 sands, where a large tract of land may be made firm and 

 dry by one cut, Mr. Elkington's mode of tappmg andborins; 

 is a vcrv superior method of efi'ecting this necessary and pri- 

 mary improvement. Upon rich black loams, sandy loams, 

 good deep lands with a chalky substratum, peats, Sec. (all 

 soils capable of producingthe natural grasses of this country) 

 the same system as has been recommended in the preceding 

 experiments will be found effectual for converting them 

 into meadows or pastures; only varying the rotation of crops 

 according to the table at the end. 



e 



Ohjections to soiv/ng G}'asscs jc'ith any Crop nf Corn, when it 

 is required (a obtain a JMcadow; and a comparative Esti- 

 mate of the iuo Methods. 



Here again I can give you, my Lord, and tlie Board, in- 

 formation from actual experiment. A Iriend of nunc wished 

 to procure a good meadow or pasture around his house : he 

 fallowed the land for barley ; but the spring proving v.ct, 

 and the soil being a strong loam, he could only put half of 

 it in order for that crop, which was sown, and laid with 

 clover and r)'e grass. The other part was fallowed, and 

 sown in Augvist with the sweepings of hay chambers, as I 

 liave recommended. The barley was a good crop, and the 

 clover and rye grass were probably equal to the first year's 

 tut of hay. The second year the artificial grasses began to 

 fail ; worse the third, fourth, and fifth. The sixth year, after 

 havinv received two dressings, ihe spontaneous product of 

 the soil began to give a fleece o\er the surface of the land. 

 About ten years after these lands were sown, I saw this 

 tield, when the part sown in August was worth at least fif- 

 teen shillings per acre jiiore than the i)art which had been 

 sown with arillicial grasses in the barley. Thus from actual 

 experiments, uunibers of v/hieh I could adduce, I conclude 

 that sowing the sweepings of hay chambers in August is 

 preferaljle to sowing artificial grasses in the spring with any 

 crop of corn. Supp(jse the corn worth live pounds per acre, 

 tlie difi'erencc in the produce of hay or feed in the second, 

 tJiird;, fourth, a;id llfth years^ would more than counlerba- 



laiico 



