THE G Jl ASSES, MEADOWS, WC'. 105 



pasture white clover must be sown with it. When sown in 

 the middle of April it is ripe for pasture by the end of May. 

 If eaten off in June, the land is turned flat and another crop 

 is sown which affords fine pasture in August and September. 

 This operation is equivalent to a dressing often loads of manure 

 per acre The blessing of sparry, the clover of sandy lands, 

 is incredible when rightly employed." Three crops can be 

 grown upon land in one season which if turned in or fed on 

 the ground, can be made a means of rapid improvement. 



PASTURES. 



It is too often the case, that pastures are neglected and 

 like woodlands are allowed to run to such vegetation as un- 

 assisted nature may dictate. As a necessary consequence, 

 their forage is frequently meagre and coarse and incapable 

 either in quantity or quality of suppporting half the number 

 of cattle in poor condition, that might otherwise be full fed 

 from them. But if we consider that pastures furnish most of 

 the domestic stock with their only food for seven months of 

 the year at the north, and generally for ten months at the 

 south, they may well be deemed worthy the particular atten- 

 tion of the farmer. 



Pastures ought to be properly divided ; and it is perhaps 

 a difficult point to determine between the advantge of small 

 ranges, and the expense and inconvenience of keeping up 

 numerous divisions. The latter requires a large outlay on 

 every farm, not only for the first cost of material and 

 annual repairs, but from the loss of land occupied by them ; 

 and they are further objectionable from their harboring 

 weeds and vermin. Yet it is beneficial to give animals a 

 change of feed, and the grass comes up evenly and grows un- 

 disturbed, if the cattle be removed for a while. There is a 

 further advantage in being able to favor some particular indi- 

 viduals or classes of animals. Thus fattening stock ought to 

 have the best feed ; milch cows and working animals the 

 next : then young stock ; while sheep will thrive on shorter 

 feed than either and greedily consume most plants which 

 the others reject. By this means a field will be thoroughly 

 cleansed of all plants which animals will eat, and the remain- 

 der should be extirpated. The same care should be taken to 

 prevent the propagation of weeds in pastures as in other fields. 

 Many of these, mullen, thistle and the like, multiply prodi- 

 giously from sufferance, and if unchecked will soon over- 

 spread the farm. 

 D* 



