Cultivation of Grafs-Land. Soiling Oppojit ion to notjoundcd. 553 



Without attending fufficiently to the economy and advantage of the practice, it 

 has been the common hufbandry in almoft every part of the ifland to allow all forts 

 of neat cattle to be grazed in the paftures. In fome cafes of improved farming it 

 has indeed been lately purfued in fome degree in the liable, but without being ap 

 plied to the cattle flock. The principal circumftances that recommend this 

 iyftem of practice, are thofe of the food being confumed with much lefs waftc, 

 and of courfe going vaftly further than when fed upon the land : the great increafe 

 of good manure that is produced, and probably that of the flock feeding with lefs 

 interruption and inconvenience, in confequence of their being more effectually 

 fhaded from the heat of the fun and better protected from the haraffing attack of 

 flies. In all thefe points, this method would indeed feem to have a vaft fuperiority 

 over that of letting the animals range over the paftures. It has, however, been 

 objected againftthis fcheme of feeding, that the expenfc of conducting the bufinefs 

 is too coniiderable. The experiments of Mr. Mure, which were conducted upon 

 a very extenfive fcale, as well as thofe of Mr. Young, (how that this with the 

 care of the cattle may be performed at an expenfe in proportion to each, that can 

 never afford any folid argument againft the practice.* It has likewife been 

 fometimes contended, in oppofition to this management, that fuch part of the 

 ftock as are in milk do not afford it fo abundantly as when fed in the paftures. 

 This is, however, probably a mere fuppofition, unfupported by facts, at leaft we 

 have not met with any well-conducted experiment that has proved its truth, and it 

 is obvioufly at variance with the experience we have of the effects of fuch forts of 

 green food, in othercafes ; for it has been, we believe, almoft invariably found, 

 that moft of the green crops that are cut and employed in this way have greater 

 effect in exciting the fecretory organs and promoting their fecretions than the com 

 mon pafture grafs. And it is generally allowed that the urinary fecretion is greatly 

 augmented in all cafes of this fort of feeding, fo as to ccnftitute one of its advan 

 tages. But as particular forts of vegetables, as well as other circumftances, act 

 more powerfully on fome of the glandular organs than others, it is evident than 

 Ibme kinds of plants may have a greater tendency to promote one kind of fecretion 

 than another, and on this account cows fed on one fort of food, in the practice of 

 foiling, may afford lefs milk than on another. -f 



* Annals of Agriculture, vol. XIV. 



f A fet of well-condu&ed experiments made in thefe different views .would probably lead io much 

 ufeful difcovery in refpeft to the feeding, fattening, and milking of animals. 



4 C 2 



