278 



MOW 



MOW 



mows his dead grass, and gets per- 

 haps four or five cocks iVom an 

 acre. He cannot sell otf many of 

 his stock, because of the general 

 scarcity of hay ; nor fatten them 

 to kill, for want of grass ; there- 

 fore he keeps them along poorly 

 and pinchingly, till the ground is 

 bare in the following spring ; then, 

 to save their lives, he turns them 

 into the mowing ground, as soon 

 as there is the least appearance of 

 green grass. They potch the soil 

 to the depth of six or eight inches, 

 which is sufficient to prevent the 

 growth of a good crop that year ; 

 as it sinks a great part of the sur- 

 face to such a depth that it can 

 produce nothing ; tears and maims 

 the roots which remain in their 

 places; and leaves the surface so 

 uneven, that if a crop of grass 

 should grow, it could not be mown 

 closely, if at all. Theiefore, 

 through want of hay, the soil and 

 sward must be mangled in the 

 same way the spring following ; 

 and so on from year to year per- 

 petunJly. How absurd and ruin- 

 ous this practice ! 



If our farmers would resolve 

 they will mow but half the quan- 

 tity of ground which they have 

 mowed liilherto, 1 should think 

 they might soon tind their account 

 in it. But it will be necessary 

 that they should adopt a new kind 

 of ujanagement, with respect to 

 their mowing grounds. 



In the first place, let them not 

 lay down to grass for mowing, any 

 lands that are quite exhausted by 

 severe cropping ; nor without ma- 

 nuring them well. Good crops of 



grass are not to be expected when 

 there is no strength, or next to 

 none, in the soil. Therefore the 

 lands should be dunged when the 

 grass is sown, unless we except 

 clover and other biennial grasses. 

 And even for these it is often quite 

 necessary, always advantageous. 



Also, the surface should be rol- 

 led after the seed is sown, to close 

 the mould about the seeds, to pre- 

 vent their being removed by strong 

 winds, to prevent the surface from 

 being irregularly torn by the frost 

 of winter, and to make the soil 

 smoother for mowing. 



Grass land, by lying, is apt to 

 become uweven, and knobby. For 

 this reason the good farmers in 

 England pass a roller over their 

 grass- land every spring and fall. 

 It gives the roots of grass a more 

 equal advantage for nourishment 

 and growth, and facilitates the 

 mowing of the grass, and the rak- 

 ing of the hay. 



When land becomes bound, or 

 mossy, so as to diminish the growth 

 of the grass, if it be not convenient 

 for the farmer to break it up, it 

 should be cut, or scarified by a 

 spiked roller, or if the farmer does 

 not possess this, by a heavy load- 

 ed harrow, when the ground is 

 softened by rains, or by the com- 

 ing out of the frosts. Then dress- 

 ed with some short rotten manure 

 suited to the soil ; bushed, and a 

 roller passed over it. There is 

 no danger of destroying the roots 

 of the grass by this operation. 

 Though they are broken they will 

 be speedily renewed ; new offsets 

 will be more plentifully formed. 



