OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 127 



fragrance and colour, inftead of having both deftroyed 

 by too much expofure ; for the great defeft in our 

 mode is, the expofing our grafs until the juices are to- 

 tally gone, and looking upon the heating of our hay, 

 even in a flight degree, as its deftruction. A medium 

 between the rapid manner, in which the hay is carried 

 in England, and our tardy method, would probably be 

 the fortunate one: the great degree of moiflure, which 

 generally prevails in this country, muft, I fhould think, 

 prevent us from implicitly following them ; at the fame 

 time it muft be allowed, that the dread of putting up 

 our hay too foon often produces a greater evil, than 

 would be the confequence even of a confiderable de- 

 gree of heating, whereas a flight degree is found bene- 

 ficial. Another error, towards which there is a general 

 propenfity, is the length of time the hay in this county 

 is fuffered to remain in the meadows after it is made 

 up ; the effefts of this are feen in the quantity wafted, 

 both in the bottoms from the moifture of the ground, 

 and on the tops and outfides from the fun and rain. 

 This is fo very unnecefTary a piece of bad husbandry, 

 fo little can be faid in defence of it, it is furprifing it 

 has not ceafed, with many other practices equally 

 flovenly and wafteful. 



jfffer-grafs. 



