FARM MANAGEMENT. 63 



and has found from trial that the merinos yield as much mut- 

 ton and far better wool. He imports pure merino rams from 

 Germany and Spain to improve his flock. 



Mr. M'Connell finds that by feeding prairie grass close with 

 sheep, it, in a few years, gives way to blue grass and white 

 clover which come naturally of themselves and without being 

 sown. But the plan he recommends for laying this land down 

 into good meadow and pasture, is to break up the soil some 

 time between the middle of May and middle of July ; (a few 

 days earlier or later may be tolerated, but not more, as if prairie 

 land is broken out of season the labour is worse than lost.) Sow 

 wheat in end of August, or 1st of September: the following 

 season, after wheat, take a crop of Indian corn, which must be 

 kept clean ; after the crop is removed, level the ground well, 

 and in February sow one peck of Timothy to the acre, if on 

 the snow so much the better, as the dark seeds attract the sun's 

 rays, and gradually melt a passage for themselves to the soil 

 below, and the moment the snow disappears, they, being al- 

 ready imbedded in the damp soil, spring up at once, and take 

 the start of all other vegetation. Late in March add two 

 pounds of clover seed per acre, and a good hay crop will be 

 certain. I can testify to the success of this management, as I 

 walked over a meadow of many acres on this gentleman's land, 

 on which there was ricked a crop of at least two tons an acre 

 of very excellent mixed clover and grass hay. The aftermath 

 was rich close luxuriant clover, on which a flock of lambs were 

 grazing, just such clover aftermath as we should find in this 

 country on good land after the first crop of hay. I thought it 

 had been the first crop, but learnt to my surprise that the 

 meadow had been sown out twelve years ago, that it had little 

 manure all that time, had borne a crop of hay every year, and 

 been fed close afterwards with sheep, during winter and spring, 

 till the prairie grass grew. I have never seen land in Britain 



