PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCE. 353 



to eke out a comfortable support for my stock." And 

 another : " To some extent. I do not think it bene- 

 ficial to the land to feed much every year, nor very 

 injurious to feed some ; but to feed close I deem highly 

 injurious." A very experienced farmer, of large obser- 

 vation, writes me : " To some extent I feed it off, not 

 from choice, but convenience. The treading of the 

 cattle is some injury, and they feed on the best kinds 

 of grass, and leave the wild grasses to extend the area 

 of their growth. In my experience, mowing grounds 

 are kept in the best condition by taking off the first and 

 second crops with the scythe, and biennially dressing 

 with compost manures." 



This accords with the experience of another practical 

 farmer, who says : " My practice is to feed the after- 

 growth or mow it. To take all from the soil without 

 returning an equivalent, would be injurious. My cus- 

 tom is to top-dress my mowing grounds with good 

 compost manure, about fifteen cart-loads to the acre, 

 once in two or three years, a portion of lots in one 

 year, and a portion the next. Where the ground is not 

 liable to wash carry the manure off I prefer spread- 

 ing the manure in the autumn ; it is dissolved by the 

 fall rains and winter snows, and the grass is benefited 

 in the early spring." 



An experienced farmer in another section says : 

 " Farmers here are in the habit of feeding off their 

 mowing lands in the fall, but have no doubt that the 

 crop of grass would be better, the next season, not to 

 feed them. Some think the injury not so great as the 

 value of the feed of the after-growth." " I have had 

 considerable experience in both ways," writes an intelli- 

 gent farmer, " and do not think fall feeding is any injury, 

 if it is not fed too close ; prefer feeding to mowing the 

 second crop, and feeding with sheep rather than cattle." 

 30* 



