Cultivation of Arabic Land.Laying down to G raj s ff hal mceffary in. 51* 



With refpecft to the property of early growth, the want of early herbage in, 

 the fpring is the general complaint of farmers and graziers in all the beft grafs 

 diftricts of the kingdom : tliofe plant?, therefore, which are found to fh ot at an 

 early period, and to put forth early foliage, efpccially when it is fuch as is grateful 

 to cattle, mud be deferving of great attention. As far as graffcs have to do in 

 this bufmefs, the few mentioned hereafter rmy, he fuppofes, effect all that can be ex 

 pected in this way: much mult, however, depend on fcafons : if the winter fhould 

 befevere, or north-caderly winds prevail in the fpring months, graffy herbage will be 

 backward,!!! fpite of all that can be done ; but in order to counteract the bad effects 

 of fuch feafons as much as poffible, pafturcs and grafs-lands fhould, in his opinion, 

 be warmly iituated, and not drenched too much with moifture, being dickered by 

 thick hedges, and divided into fmall enclofures. But where early pafturage is 

 the great object of the cultivator, there are other planes that may deferve a place 

 among them, fuch as thofe mentioned below. 



And though early herbage is highly valuable for pafturage, it is not lefs fo for 

 the purpofes of hay; as by the middle of May at the lated, a meadow of this 

 fort would be fit for cutting; and the fecond hay-making might begin by the time 

 that hay-making ufually takes place in other cafes ; and by this means the double 

 advantage be obtained, of a larger produce, and lefs rifk in fecuring it. 



On the principles that have been already explained, there can be little doubt but 

 that by a judicious and due attention to the different circumftances and ufes for 

 which grafs-lands are intended, as well as to the felecting and mixing of the beft 

 and moft proper grafs-feeds, and adapting them to the particular nature and cir 

 cumftances of the foils, after they have been brought into a fuitable condition for 

 receiving them, thofe grounds which have been in a ftateof tillage may be laid 

 down to the Hate of fward, in a much better and more beneficial manner than 

 has been the cafe under the indifcriminate ufe of fuch as were in, or which have 

 fown themfelves on the lands from the contiguous paftures. 



It has indeed been long flnce remarked as extraordinary, that cultivators fhould 

 have neglected to make a proper advantage of plants of fuch importance, and 

 which, in moft iituations, conftitute the principal food oi live ftock, from the want 

 of properly diftingu idling and felecting fuch as are the moft advantageous and ufeful 

 under different circumftances of the land.* Some have likewife contended that the 

 beft grafs-feeds cannot be collected at too high a rate, as it is poflible by fuch means 

 to render lands, which are fuited for the production of grafs, much more valuable 

 than can be done by the common modes of laying them down.f 



* Stillingfleet s Mifcellaneous Trads. + Kent s Hints, and Anderfon sEflays, vol. II. 



VOL. II, S S 



