1837.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



665 



into meadow, the further charge of the best seeds 

 should never be spared. 



It is also the common practice oflarmcrf, to sow 

 those seeds with a corn crop, usually of barley ; 

 but, although they thereby save a year's rent and 

 tillage, it is yet a losing plan in the end ; for al- 

 though the crop of corn thus obtained is valuable, 

 yet when a good meadow is wanted, and when 

 all the strength of the land is required to nurture 

 the young grass thus robbed and injured, consider- 

 able expense is often incurred the second year for 

 manure, which, with the charges of the crop, and 

 the disadvantages attenduig ir, will generally 

 more than counterbalance its profit. A permanent 

 sward of grass, with a bottom of richness and 

 purity from weeds, can only be obtained by a' 

 thorough summer fallow, — so thoroughly effected 

 as to cleanse the soil from every kind of weed, and 

 to reduce it to a complete state of pulverization 

 before the seeds are sown. B^^ this means, they 

 may be deposited in the ground early in the au- 

 tumn — about the middle or the latter end of Au- 

 gust ; and if the land has been got into good 

 heart by sufficient manure, and the seeds be judi- 

 ciously chosen, they will then, not only stand the 

 winter, but will probably sprout with such strength 

 in the sj)ring, as to prevent the propagation of 

 weeds. A top-dressing of some friable manure 

 or compost, which must be exceedingly well spread 

 and minutely divided, should, however, be laid on 

 in the course of the month of March, as early as 

 the land will bear pressure, and the ground should 

 be carefully hand-weeded, lest any noxious plants 

 should arise. The expense, indeed, is considera- 

 ble ; but, as may be seen, in the more serious af- 

 fairs of lite, .so in no farming operation will hall- 

 measures be found to succeed; and when a man 

 has such an object in view, as that of laying 

 down land to produce crops without I'urther culti- 

 vation during a series of years, he should calculate 

 the loss which he will surely sustain, if he does 

 not effect it in the most complete manner. The 

 land should, in f\ct, be put in such order, as to pro- 

 duce nothing but what is intended to grow, and to 

 bring that to the utmost perfection ; but to carry it 

 to that condition, no expense should be spared. If, 

 however, the soil can be brought into good order 

 by the means of a turnip fallow, then, indeed, the 

 sowing of the grass-seeds may be deferred nniil 

 spring; although, even in that case, we should 

 recommend their being sown without corn: in 

 proof of which, we may cite the following trials 

 on three different sorts of soils, as stated by the 

 late Mr. George Sinclair.* 



Experiments. 



1. A large field of heavy clay, in Buckingham- 

 shire, which had been nmch exhausted bv Ions 

 continuance under the plough, was well cleaned, 

 worked into as fine tilth as the unfavorable nature 

 of the soil woidd permit, and manured with farm- 

 yard dung and coal-ashes. The seeds were sown 

 in August, at the collective rate of about four 

 bushels to the acre, in different proportions in the 

 order in which they stand ; the largest being first, 

 viz. — 



Meadow fox-tail, Rough-stalked meadow, 

 Meadow fescue. Crested dog's-tail, 

 Meadow cat's tail, White clover, and 

 Cow -grass. 



The vegetation succeeded as satisfiictorily as the 

 season ot winter would permit, but a top-dressing 

 was given in the following spring, and a few more 

 seeds were sown at the same time. The pasture 

 soon became fit to receive dairy stock, and proved 

 so productive, that, after four years' experience of 

 its qualities, another field of a simitar soil, on the 

 same farm, was also laid down. 



2. Tliis, however, although worked in the same 

 manner as the former, had the addition to the 

 seeds of 



Cock's-foot, and 

 Perennial rye-grass, 



which proved a great improvement ; and the field 

 was intended to be sown in spring. In conse- 

 quence, however, of the difficulty of getting a flat 

 tenacious clay into fine condition, the ground was 

 not sown unlit the beginning of summer; but, al- 

 though the seeds vegetated freely, yet such a 

 quantity of charlock came up at the same time, 

 that the plants were in danger of being choked, 

 and it became necessary to give so thorough a 

 hand-weeding, that it cost 12s. per acre. The 

 grasses, however, sprouted vigorously, and in the 

 course of two seasons, became equal to any old 

 pasture on a similar soil. 



3. A ten-acre field of strong loam incumhent on 

 clay, in a high and exposed situation in the county 

 of Cumberland, got a fallow of ten furrows, and 

 having been harrowed and picked, till not a weed 

 was to be seen, was sown in drills, with thirteen 

 pecks per acre, of the following seeds: — 



Cock's-foot, 

 Perennial rye-grass. 

 Hard fescue, 

 Meadow fox-tail. 

 Tall oat-graF 



Crested dog's-tail, 

 Sweet-scented vernal, 

 Conmion meadow-grass, 

 White clover, 

 Perennial red clover. 



* See the Quart. Journ. of Agric, N. S., Nos. xviii. 

 and xix.; and also four other experiments of a nearly 

 similar nature, pubhshed in the ti-ansactions of tlie 

 Hi£;hland Society, N. S., vol. ii. p. 19S. 



Vol. IV— 84 



Larger meadow cat's- Tretbil, and 

 tail, Broad clover. 



The next year, it carried upwards of forty 

 welher sheep, with thirty-three lambs, and twenty 

 yearling bullocks; thus keeping as much stock 

 during the auliunn, as a common turnip crop, and 

 making the sheep equally tiit. 



4. jj light gravelly soil, containing twenty-four 

 acres, in Roxburghshire, was sown without acorn 

 crop, on the 13th of April, 1832, with 2| bushels 

 per acre, of 



Cock's-foot, Sweet-scented vernal, 



Meadow fox-tail, Larger meadow cat's-tail, 

 Pacey's rye-cjrass, Crested dog's-tail. 

 Tall oat-grass, Common meadow-grass, 



Mixed fescues. Broad-leaved bent, or florin, 



and white, perennial red, 

 and yellow cl()\ er. 



On the 2Slh of June, eisrht scores of Leicester 

 ewes, with their lambs, were put upon this pasture, 

 and remained there until the 4lh August, when 

 they were removed, but were replaced on the 13th 

 by ten scores of ewes, without their hunbs, which 

 continued until the 4th of October, at which period 

 the account ends. 



On this, Mr. Sinclair very justly remarks, "that 



