474 Cultivation of Grafs Land. Stocking Pa/lures. 



however, feem more probable, from the circumftance of the animals being almoft 

 wholly directed by the tafte in the choice of their food, that the fweet or tender 

 nature of the herbage in thefe parts firft induces them to feed upon and confume 

 them in fo clofe a manner, as well as the continuing the clofe eating them down af 

 terwards. The fame thing is obferved to happen in the vicinity ofpreferved co 

 vers, with hares and rabbits, from their keeping fpots of barley or other 

 grain crops clofely fed down.* And fheep are well known to ramble over the 

 whole of the paftures in order to nibble and pick out the moft fweet and delicate 

 inorfels. 



The feeding of neat cattle is, perhaps, lefs particular and delicate in this refpect; 

 but where not forced by hunger they moftly appear to fix upon fuch parts of the 

 land as poftefs the mofl fweet and palatable herbage, rejecting the coarfer fpots 

 where it is lefs tender and agreeable. 



If the conclufion be therefore well founded, that flock of all forts prefer the beft, 

 fweeteft, and moft tender herbage, it is evident that no mixture of animals can in- 

 fure the even and regular feeding down of paftures, as they will in fome degree be 

 all attracted by the fweeteft and moft tender parts, and thofe of the more coarfe four 

 kinds be in confequence almoft wholly rejected. Anagricultor of great experience 

 and nice obfervation has remarked, that in paftures ftock naturally pick the moft 

 palatable graffes firft, leaving the others to run up to bents ; and though it is ad 

 mitted that one fort may have a preference for one fpecies of grafs and another for 

 another, there is no mixing the animals in fuch a manner as to prevent this circum 

 ftance from taking place. It is wholly impracticable to proportion each kind of 

 ttock in fuch a way to the fpecies of grafs that may be moft agreeable to it, as to 

 prevent the fcarcity of one fort and the abundance of the other, t 



Thefe are therefore not only difficulties in the regular feeding down of paftures 

 from the cattle being more fond of fome forts of herbage than others, but alfo from 

 the inability of the grazier to proportion them in a way that may fully anfwer the 

 purpofe. 



Thefe obfervations, at the fame time that they fhow the difficulty of thebufinefs, 

 convince us of the advantage and importance of keeping pa ftu re lands regularly and 

 evenly fed down, which is perhaps only to be fully effected by one fort of ftock 



* Marshall s Rural Economy of Yorkshire. 

 t Clofe io-Cominunications to the Board of Agriculture, vol. III.. 



