464 Cultivation of Grafs Land. Management of Aftet^-Grafs Stocking of. 



of flock ; and that this grafs- holds to a period, if wanted, when moft other refources. 

 fail, the laft halfof April, and the firft half of May periods always of want and dif 

 ficulty, where rye grafs is not fown.* Mr. Marfhall alfo allures us, that as a certain 

 and vvholeforrre fupply of food for ewes and lambs in the early fpring, the preferved 

 pafture is to be depended upon as&quot; the fheet-anchor,&quot; in preference to turnips, 

 cabbages, or any other fpecies whatever of what is termed fpring feed. 



The fame thing has been experienced by Dr. Wilkinfon, who has obferved that 

 this food with him afforded a more nutritive and healthful quality of milk from the 

 ewes to their tender lambs than turnips, even in their beft ftate. 



But however ufeful after-grafs paftures may be under this management, there is 

 evidently a great lofs of food incurred by it, efpecially in fevere winters : it would 

 therefore feem to be frequently the beft practice to eat after-grafs well down, as 

 late as poflible in the autumn, by different forts of live flock, and depend in a great 

 meafure upon the new grafs for fpring feed. 



It has been fuggefted that mowing the preferved after-grafs in the winter, and 

 giving it to the flock in the farm-yard, might be advantageous in preventing the 

 land from being poached, and the ufeful long grafs from being trampled down and 

 deflroyed.f The trouble and expenfe of the procefs would perhaps in general be 

 too crreat, though in particular circumflances, as where other forts of fodder do not 

 bear a proportion to the quantity of flock to be kept, and where ftreep are coi*- 

 ceived improper, it may afford fome convenience and benefit, efpecially where it 

 can be performed without injury to the ground by poaching, in the conveying away 

 the materials, which can feldom be the cafe except where the land is very dry ; in* 

 which fituations there is rarely much after-grafs for this purpofe. 



Where the nature of the foils is fuch as not to admit heavy cattle early and late, 

 lamb-fuckling may often be carried on with advantage, as well as the feeding and 

 fattening of other forts of fheep, which is frequently the cafe in this diftricl. 



* Young in Annals of Agriculture. t Lawrence in Commercial and Agricultural Mag. in vol. IV 



