Cultivation of Grajs Land Grazing. Nature of \ 8$c. c. 547 



keep befiowed upoft it ; and in ultimately difpofing of it, when brought into proper 

 condition, to the beft advantage. 



The flocking of grazing lands with a proper kind of animals is probably one of 

 the moft nice and difficult points in the whole range of farming. In the natural 

 ftate, fuch animals are in general produced on the lands as are fuitcd to the Rare 

 and nature of their herbage ; thus, in the mountainous diftricls, where the grafs 

 is fhort and light, the fmall breeds of both cattle and fheep prevail ; while in the 

 low, rich, marfhy, or other paftures, where the grafs is more full and luxuriant, 

 we have the larger breeds of thcfe different animals. It will therefore be neceffary, 

 in this bufinefs, for the farmer to confider two things : -fir ft, what fort of (lock may 

 be the moft proper for the particular kind of land on which they are to be grazed ; 

 and, in the fecond place, what forts may afford the greateft profit in the confump- 

 tion of the herbage. It will probably in moft cafes be found, that upon the ftrong 

 and more dry rich paftures the larger forts of cattle and fheep will be the moft 

 proper, and turn out to the greateft advantage; but that on fuch as are lefs dry 

 and luxuriant the different fmaller breeds of cattle, as well as fheep, may be found 

 to pay the beft. This is in fome degree proved by the practice of the graziers in 

 differentdiftricl:s. On the rich lands in Suffex * and Lincolnshire, as well as other 

 grazing counties, they prefer the large breeds of cattle as well as {heep for the 

 purpofe ; while in many others that are lefs fertile the fmaller forts are found 

 more to the advantage of the grazing farmer. In paftures where the graft is 

 fhort, fheep are moftly the proper fort of ftock. 



But befides this circumftance of adapting the ftock to the nature and fituation 

 of the land, the properties of the breeds muft be attended to. Thofe forts, whe 

 ther cattle or fheep, which have the property of keeping themfelves Jat, or in 

 tolerable condition, with the leaft expenditure of food, ihould be conftantly pre 

 ferred, whatever the fize or breed may be. It is a quality that has been obfervcd. 

 to be of much greater importance to the grazier than that of fize, abftra&cdly 

 con fide red. -j- 



It has been well obferved, that where the grazier has fine and rich pafttires, he 

 may &quot; choofe his beafts as large as he can find them, provided they are of the right 

 breed and fhape ; but let him always prefer fhape to fize ; for it will affuredly 

 pay him better.&quot; And it is added that (&amp;lt; thofe who are upon indifferent graf% 



* Synopfis of Husbandry. * Annals of Agriculture, vt 1. XXXII, 



4 A 2 



