308 On transplanting Turf, 



improved. In the operative part of transplanting turf, particular 

 attention is required in carefully turning the flag with its grass 

 side up, and in pressing the plants well into the ground; for if the 

 roots of the plants are left exposed to the vicissitudes of winter 

 weather, they will certainly be injured in a material degree. The 

 whole process should therefore be effected with all possible ex- 

 pedition, particularly when carried on in winter; but which is 

 not advisable, as frosts, more or less, are expected every night 

 in that season : no more turf should be cut, carried, and spread 

 in the day, than is likely to be planted before night. 



No stock of any kind should be admitted upon the young pas- 

 ture, until after the grasses have perfected and shed their seed. 



Mr. Forrester laid down to permanent pasture a field of six- 

 teen acres ; one half of the field was transplanted according 

 to the mode above described, and the other half was sown 

 with the seeds of natural grasses and clovers. 



In both cases the pasture proved good, and equal to the best 

 ancient pasture ; but Mr. Forrester observes, that from the first 

 year until now, ^five years from the time the pasture was made,) 

 that portion of the field which had been laid down with seeds has 

 always produced more grass than the transplanted portion. In 

 two other instances, one of a field of five acres, and another of 

 two acres, treated in like manner as the above by Mr. Forrester, 

 he obtained similar results. 



On a farm of the Marquess of Tavistock at Oakely, before 

 alluded to, I observed an improvement on the practice of trans- 

 planting turf; particularly as regards the recovery of a pasture 

 partially deprived of its turf for the purposes of transplanting. It 

 has been recommended to take the turf out in strips, or ribs, six 

 inches wide, and to leave ribs of grass uncut, of three inches in 

 width, to continue the pasture ; but here the turf was allowed to 

 remain in ribs of from ten to twelve inches wide, which, with the 

 liberal use of the grass-roller, had the effect of sooner covering 

 the vacant spaces with grass, or of promoting the union of the 

 edges of the strips of turf, than when they were left of nar- 

 rower dimensions. A piece of land in VVoburn Park was planted 

 with turf, but the expense of the process was here greater than 

 w^hat is mentioned above in the statements of expense. The 

 turf was taken out in strips six inches broad, and ribs of grass 

 left three inches wide, to continue the pasture, precisely accord- 

 ing to the directions above given. The edges of the strips of 



