GRASS 



GRASS. 



inches thick, an! 7, 8, or 9 inches wide, ac- 

 cording to the nature of the turf-gage of the 

 plough, and the width of the wing of the share : 

 it i> .sometimes cross cut into short lengths, 

 previous to the operation of paring; but this 

 'can only be effected when the turf is moist 

 and free from stones. The cross cutting is 

 done by a scarifier, with cimeter tines, the 

 convex edges made very sharp, and faced to 



.vtk. and the implement heavily weighted, 

 ;>ress the tines a proper depth into the 



: hut it is best in large flags. The turf is 

 Iheu carried in broad-wheeled carts to the field, 

 at the rale of 50 cart-loads to an acre, placed 

 in heaps, and then chopped into small pieces 

 of about 3 inches square; the ground is then 



ied with a scarifier, and the turf spread 

 with -hovels over the field ; the pieces of turf 

 are then placed or planted by women and 

 children, and pressed into the soil by the foot 

 or a wuod'-n rammer. One acre of turf di- 

 vided into pieces will plant 9 ajcres each 

 piece of turf standing 9 inches apart. The 

 expense per acre of this mode of converting 

 arable land into pasture is as follows : say 



A. U. P. 



Extent of grass land clean paired of - - 1 2 18 

 Extent of arable land transplanted with the 

 above 11 15 



Erpenae. 8. d. 



To ploughing or pairing 1 a. 2 r. 18 p., at 100. 



re - - - - - - 16 H 



To carriage of 600 loads of tuft, fifty days' 



work tor one horse, at 3s. per day - - 7 10 



Tn ti..y driving carts 19 8 



To urarifying 11 acres or 15 poles of ground 

 \\ hen covered with tuft cut in pieces, at 



per acre 1 7 8* 



To labourers, at 30s. per acre - - - 1 12 9J 



Or 2/. 9s. 2jd. per acre. 



27 6 4 



A plan of improving old worn-out pasture 

 lands (by dibbling peas and vetches, with a 

 isfxmiv of 18 pounds of Dutch clover, and 2 

 iMshels per acre of Bay grass) is described by 

 Mr. Sailer, Com. to Board of Jlgr. vol. vi. p. 357. 

 On the advantages of deep ploughing, fallow- 

 ing, and liming land intended to be again laid 

 down to permanent pasture, with an experi- 

 ment on 17 acres at Jedburgh, there is a paper 

 by Mr. Bell, Quart. Jmirn. of Jlgr. vol. i. p. 570, 

 and another by Mr. Sinclair (ibid. p. 65). To 

 this gentleman's excellent work (Hart. Gram. 

 Wob.), I would especially commend my rea- 

 ders, as it abounds with information on the 

 grasses. There is also a paper on the eco- 

 nomical improvement of grass lands in Scot- 

 land (Quart. Journ. of dgr. vol. vii. p. 547) ; and 

 in all improvements of this kind, the use of the 

 sub-turf plough should not be forgotten by the 

 farmer. See IRRIOATK.N. 



In addition to the original article in the 

 n edition, we deem the subject of grasses 

 so important, and the knowledge of the subject 

 so limited in the United States, that we subjoin 

 the following information derived from the 

 best British authorities. 



English writers have divided hay grasses, 

 according to their duration, into two classes 

 the temporary and permanent. 



The tall hay grasses of temporary duration, 

 regarded as most valuable, are 



The Annual or Perennial Rye-Grass (Lolium 



annua or perenve), see Plate of Tall Hay 

 Grasses, PL 5, a ; Cock's-foot or Orchard Grass 

 (Dnclylis glomerata), 6; and Woolly Soft-Grass 

 fHotnU Id/idtus), c. 



Where a crop of hay is desired within the 

 year, it is necessary to resort to such grasses 

 as are annuals in the strict sens* of the word, 

 and none (says Loudon) can be better for this 

 purpose than the common oat (Aetna saliva), 

 cut and made into hay when it comes intc 

 flower. Next in order may be mentioned the 

 other cereal grasses, and the annual varieties 

 of Broinus the latter, however, are very 

 coarse grasses, though prolific in culm. 



The biennial rye-grass, a variety of the pe- 

 rennial Lolium, is almost universally s \va 

 in England, either with or without clover, 

 among grain crops, with a view to one crop of 

 hay in the succeeding season. It attains a 

 greater height, and produces a longer, broader 

 spike of flowers than the perennial rye-grass, 

 and the produce in hay is considered greater 

 than that of any other annual grass, equally 

 palatable to cattle. It prefers a rich, loamy 

 soil, but will grow on any surface whatever, 

 except undecayed rock or bog. The perennial 

 rye-grass, which will be more fully described 

 hereafter, differs from the biennial variety in 

 being of somewhat smaller growth, and in con- 

 tinuing in the ground for several years; accord- 

 ing to the circumstances of soil and culture. 



The Cock's-foot Grass, or, as it is generally 

 called, in the United States, Orchard-Grass, 

 from its thriving well in moist shady places, and 

 especially orchards (PI. 5, 6), is an imperfect 

 perennial, and grows naturally on dry, sandy 

 soils. This grass may be recognised by its 

 coarse appearance, both of the leaf and spike, 

 and also by its whitish green hue. It grows 

 freely in most situations, is very hardy and 

 productive, but rough, harsh, and coarse, and 

 much improved by cultivation in open grounds. 

 Hence its name of rough cock's-foot. 



This gniss is rather early in its growth, and 

 in many excellent old pastures it constitutes 

 one of the plants always found in the turf. It 

 vegetates much during the winter in England, 

 and when sown at the rate of 2 bushels an acre 

 with red clover, it has speedily formed a very 

 good sward. As a single plant to sow with 

 clover for hay, it is altogether unsuitable. On 

 good lands it shoots up strong, coarse stalks, 

 too tall and few in number, and unfit for fod- 

 der ; and the hassocky tufted roots do not yield 

 at that season a quantity of leaves to be cut 

 for hay. But on inferior soils that are us.ed 

 for pasturage for two or three, or more years, 

 in remote or high situations, it forms one of the 

 most valuable of grasses, shoots early, and af- 

 fords, from its tufted growth, an early bite for 

 sheep, and produces an abundance of sound, 

 healthy seed, which is easily gathered. The 

 general complaint of running up to coarse 

 stalks may be remedied by early and close 

 grazing, and when sown on poor lands along 

 with other perennials, it will produce the ear- 

 liest feed, and the most abundant herbage 

 I during the season. It is much relished by all 

 kinds of live-stock, and especially sheep, the 

 quantity of which that can in England be kept 

 , upon it summer and winter is quite surprising, 



