of Graft Hand* Stocking Paftitrt*. 475 



-by very clofe biting that they da not afford fo quick or free a fpring to the fucceflion 

 .of blade as there would otherwife be.&quot; But, on the other hand, it is not re 

 commended to leave a long bite of grafs on the land : a middle degree will ftut 

 all lands the bell, and afford the moft benefit to the perfons who occupy 

 them.* 



By the too thin flocking of pafturcs, though lofs may be fuftained in their not 

 fupporting the proper number of animals, as well as from the injury which isdonc 

 by the grafs plants running fo much up to Hems, the broken grafs in fuch cafes 

 can be mown when in fuffic lent proportion for hay: but the difad vantages of 

 overftocking are fcarcely capable of being repaired, as, befides the lands being of 

 ten expofed to much injuryby the crowns of the plants being fo clofely pared down, 

 efpecially in the finer kinds ofgrafs,the cattle from fui bring a check in their feeding, 

 are long in regaining their former thriving difpofition.-j- It has been well remarked 

 that almoft the whole of the produce of pafture lands may in this way be often 

 thrown away, and that it is an error that young farmers are extremely liable to fall 

 into 4 



The medium degree of flocking, which has been advifed above, is in general to 

 be carefully adopted from the experience obtained upon the land. In the procuring 

 of which it is befl to begin by an under proportion of ftock. 



It is the opinion of a writer of great experience, that the more various the kinds of 

 cattle are that are fed upon the paftures at different times the better: || but it 

 has not been mown on what principle this advantage depends. If the different 

 modes of feeding in the different, animals, be attended to and minutely examined, 

 it will be found that though fome forts will confume grafs when in a more luxuri 

 ant Hate of growth than others, they are all fondeft of pafluring on that which is 

 the moft fweet and tender. This is rendered extremely obvious by the obferva- 

 tionsof an attentive inquirer, who has found, that although horfes &amp;lt;f appear partial 

 to particular patches of fward, he has never been able to difcover any peculiarity in 

 the foil or the herbage of fuch barely eaten fpots.&quot; It is fuppofed that they have 

 been fed down by fucb animals at firft in fo clofe a manner merely by accident ; 

 but that afterwards they are kept in fuch a clofe flate of feeding from their pe 

 culiar fweetnefs,&quot; depending on the &quot;peculiar fhortnefs of the herbage.&quot;ff It would, 



*- Kent s Hints. t Marshall s Rural Economy of Yorkfliire. J Ibid. 



$ Ibid* 1| Kent s Hints. f Ibid. 



VOL. II 3 P 



