30 A HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



mixture of foreign grains and oilseed, as well as 

 large quantities of maize that are imported. 



The Pastures. In view of the good results ob- 

 tained by the Herefordshire farmers from their 

 grazing lands it may be of interest, while upon the 

 subject of the farming of the district, to present a 

 few details as to their method of management. 



The principal grasses now used in forming a per- 

 manent pasture are perennial rye grass, the vari- 

 ous kinds of fescue, cocksfoot, meadow foxtail, 

 sweet vernal, timothy, and smooth-stalked meadow 

 grass, together with clovers: perennial red, peren- 

 nial white or Dutch trefoil and alsike.* But the 

 experienced farmer will tell you that of as much im- 

 portance as the seed is the matter of having the 

 land thoroughly free from weeds, and that liberal 

 dressings of manure in the early life of the young 

 pasture are absolutely necessary to success. 



These permanent pastures are sometimes seeded 

 down with a nurse crop and sometimes without. 

 The practice most generally followed is to drill in 

 the barley or oats, and after rolling to obtain a firm 

 seedbed, the seed is distributed and lightly harrowed 

 in, the blades of barley and oats forming a shelter 



*A typical mixture for permanent pasture, say 40 Ibs. per 

 acre, would be something like this: Cocksfoot, from 5 to 6 Ibs.; 

 crested dogstail, % to iy 2 Ibs.; florin, % to % lb.; hard fescue, 

 1 to 2 Ibs.; meadow foxtail, 2 to 3V 2 Ibs.; meadow fescue, 4 to 5 

 Ibs.; perennial ryegrass, 6 to 7 Ibs.; red fescue, 1 to 2 Ibs.; rough- 

 stalked fescue, 1% to 2 Ibs.; sheep's fescue, 1 to 2 Ibs.; smooth- 

 stalked meadowgrass, 1 to 3 Ibs.; sweet vernal grass, ^4 to % lb. ; 

 tall fescue, 1 to 2 Ibs.; timothy, 3 to 5 Ibs.; wood meadowgrass, 

 1 lb. ; yarrow or milfoil, % lb.; yellow oatgrass, % lb. ; alsike, 1 

 to 1^ Ibs.; perennial red clover, 1% to 2% Ibs.; perennial white 

 Clover, 1 to 2 Ibs.; trefoil, % to 1 lb. 



