1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



633 



are one-year-old-grass. They will I'eed the larger 

 cattle perleclly. But it is to sheep that they are 

 in a peculiar degree adapted ; and, in the practice 

 n( the. (arm, the larger cattle are usually put upon 

 the old grass, while the sheep are led upon the 

 young grass. 



VVIieiher in any case, a field of young grass 

 shall l)e applied to herhaire or Ibrage, is dependent 

 on consitierations of expediency' and profit. If 

 there shall be slock upon a (arm requiring jrood 

 and early gruss, ii may be most advantageous to 

 use the new grass lijr herbage; in certain cases 

 it may be more advantageous to employ it in soil- 

 ing; in others to convert il into hay; and in the 

 practice of the farm a portion oC il may be applied 

 to all these purposes. 



When the grasses and clovers, or any other Co- 

 rage i)lants, are to be used for soiling, they are 

 niown with the scythe and led directly to a house 

 or yard, and put into a crib or rack, the animals 

 beinix at the same time well littered with straw, 

 60 as to be kept dry. 



A field oC young arass intended to be mown is 

 managed thus : — When the land is sufiiciemly dry 

 in spring, it is rolled so as to prepare the snr(:ice 

 lor the action ol" the scythe ; and should any loose 

 stones be upon the ground, they are gathered by 

 the hand previous to rolling, and thrown into carts 

 driven slowly along the ridges. Sometimes the 

 ground may be too soCt to bear the carts, and in 

 tills case the stones may be laid in little heaps in 

 theliirrovvs until it is convenient to remove them. 

 'J'hese ojjerations should take place in the end of 

 March, or as early as possible in April. 



In ihe northern parts of the country, it is usu- 

 ally the beginning of June before the process of 

 mowing can be begun, but in the southern parts 

 mowing may commence several weeks earlier. 

 The field, or part of a field, reserved (or the pur- 

 pose, is then mown daily in such portions as are 

 required lor each day's feediii!!, and the (brage 

 given in its green ami juicy state 'o the (eeding ani- 

 mals. While the field, or portion of the field, is 

 thus being gone over, a se-.-ond crop will have been 

 springing up. Beginning then with the part which 

 had been first mown, the ground is again to be 

 mown daily until il is passed over a second time. 

 In this manner, two crops or cuttings wiil be ob- 

 tained, and in (avorable situations three. Should 

 there be an interval between the cuttings, that is. 

 should the second crop not be sufficiently ready al- 

 ter the field, or part of the field, has been passed 

 over, then some food must be provided (b'r the feed- 

 ing animals in the mean time. The best provi- 

 sion in this case is the tare, which is one of the 

 reasons (or cultivating this plant on (arms where 

 soiling is practised. 



The practice of soiling has certain advantages 

 over the more common system o( allowing the ani- 

 mals to find their own (bod in the fields. Their 

 provender is brought to them, and none of it is 

 wasted by their treading it down, while they are 

 lireed from that disturbance to which all animals 

 are subject in summer and autumn from insects. 

 It is (bund, accordingly, that the larger animals 

 feed well under this system, and that a smaller 

 space o( ground will be sufficient for feeding an 

 equal number. 



As a country becomes rich, highly cultivated, 

 and populous, soiling is the manner of feeding 

 which will naturally prevail. Hence it is prac- 

 Voj.. VII -80 



lised in this country in the neighborhood of citiea 

 where the land can be kept (i.Tiile ; and it is the 

 system adopted in some of the richer parts of Eu- 

 rope, and in an especial degree in the Nelherlands, 

 whence we have derived it. 



But although soiling be the most profitable sys- 

 tem of (t*eding where it can be adopted, yel in thig 

 country it is in many cases not praciicable, and in 

 certain cases not expedient. 



The cases in which it is not practicable, aire 

 when land lioes not possess a sufficient decree of 

 natural or ac(]uircd (eriility (o produce irood and 

 early crops of grass, or when sufficient siraw to 

 filter the animals during the period of (feeding can- 

 not be obtained. A hwne proportion of the land 

 of this country will yield an adequate quaniHy of 

 irrass for herbage, but not sulficiently early and 

 (rood for reiiular soiling. 



The cases in which soilincj is not expedient, al- 

 though it may be practicable, are when the ani- 

 mals to be led require exercise to kr ep them in 

 health and in a growing state. Thus oxen are 

 the better of moderate exercise in their first or se- 

 contl year. Young horses absolutely require it 5 

 and even milch cows, although they may be led 

 in the house or yard, maintain their he:dih better 

 in the fields. To the habits of (he sheep, the con- 

 finement of the house or J'ard is entirely unsuiied ; 

 and ahhoush in some parts of Europe the system 

 of soilinsf sheep is practit^ed, il ought to mike no 

 progress in a country aboumling in pastures lir.e 

 Britain. A case in which soiling may be applied 

 in all arable farms in this country is that of teeding 

 the working cattle of the farm. 



The next and most common method of apply- 

 ing the sown grasses and clovers is as dried (brage 

 or hay, in which state they can be preserved and 

 ixiven to the slock in winter, or at other times. 



When the sown grasses and clovers are intend- 

 ed for hay, the land is to be cleared of stones and 

 rolled in spring, as in the case of green (brage. 

 And when the plants are in full flower, but belbre 

 the seeds are ripe, or even be(bre the flowers of the 

 clovers have in any degree begun to fade, the crop 

 is to be mown. 



The plants, by the action of the scythe, are laid 

 in swathes, with their heads lyinsr pretty regulaly 

 in one direction. The swathes lie (or a short time 

 to wither; and are then turned gently over by a 

 fork, or the handle of the hay-rake, in such a man- 

 ner that they shall not be broken and spread 

 abroad. In 24 hours or more afterwards, they may 

 be put into small heaps or cocks on every third or 

 fifth ridge, according to the bulk of the crop, the 

 ground being at the same time carefully raked. 



It is a good practice to put up the hay grreen in 

 these first cocks, and then to enlarge them by add- 

 ing two tofjeiher. If at this early stage they un- 

 dergo a degree of incipient fermentation, it is no 

 matter. It is in the later stages of the process that 

 heating or fermentation becomes hurtlul. 



When the hay has become dry in the cocks, (he 

 period of which will depend upon the weather, 

 ihey are made into ricks in the fields. The cocks 

 are dragged together by a horse with a rope, one 

 end of which is attached to one of his traces, and 

 the other end being put round ihe base ot the cock 

 is fixed, to his traces on the other side. He ia 

 then made to pull forward the cock to the place re- 

 (juired ; and in this manner two or more of thenj 

 I be dragged forward at once, 



