1837.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



667 



if that should have been already applied previous 

 to the sovvinij, j^et a top-dressing of rotten dunp;, 

 or a well-prepared compost of vofretable and ani- 

 mal matter, will occasion the plants to flourish: 

 for it will he seen, that, like animals, the belter 

 they are supported in their youth, the stronger will 

 they be when they grow up. 



If, however, spring sniarng should be chosen, 

 then — if'the land has not been previousl}^ prepared 

 by a turnip fidlow — the putrescent manure should 

 be laid on before the seeds are put into the ground ; 

 iC corn be sown at the same time, it should not be 

 too thickly set, and the growing crop should be 

 thoroughly hand- weeded. When the two crops 

 are to be united, and the nature of the soil per- 

 mits, barley is to be preferred to oats, for it has a 

 greater tendency to loosen the texture of the 

 ground, which is thus rendered fiivorahle to the 

 vegetation of the (jrass-seeds, and being reaped 

 earlier, they will have the further advantaire of 

 being sooner exposed to the sun ; for although a 

 light crop of Lent corn is by many considered ad- 

 vantageous to their growth, by affording them 

 shade and protection against the ardent heat of 

 summer, yet, when they have acquired sufficient 

 strength to be out of the reach of danger, it does 

 them injury, as it protects every noxious weed 

 e(jua!ly as well as the young grass.* 



The management of the first crnp is a subject of 

 much difterence of ojiinion, some persons recom- 

 mending it to he mown, while the greater number 

 leed it off with sheep. The reason assigned for 

 the former practice is, that by mowing it very 

 early, and frequently rolling it, the grass acquires 

 a closer bottom, and that sheep, in cropping the 

 tender shoots of^ the seedling plants, pull some of 

 lhem out of the ground. There may be some 

 Iruth in this if the land be lin:ht, and sown, as such 

 land frequently is, in the sprintr, though we have 

 already seen, in experiment, No. 4, that even un- 

 der those circumstances but little danger of male- 

 rial injury need be apprehended ; but on strong- 

 soils, with autumnal sowin<r, the roots will have 

 obtained too firm a hold of the oround to be de- 

 stroyed by being fed in the Ibllowins summer, and 

 the land will thereby have the advantage of the 

 dung. 



Regarding the soils mast appropriate to the pro- 

 duction of the permanent grasses, it may be observ- 

 ed, that no land can be expected to form a good 

 meadow, unless it be of a nature sufficiently re- 

 tentive of moisture to afford nourishment to the 

 roots, and to prevent them from being burnt up by 

 the summer heats; though, if too wet, the her- 

 bage will become coarse, and infested with rushes 

 and other aquatic plants. Loams are the best 

 adapted, but they are too valuable to the arable 

 farmer to be converted to grass; and, therefore, 

 clays of so wet a nature as to be unsuitable 

 to the plough, or else, land which, without regard 

 to quality, is either subject to be overfilown, or ca- 



* A practice prevails in some places, which consists 

 in sowins; half a peck of rape, or a busliel of spring 

 tares, instead of corn, with the frrass-seeds. The rape 

 thus g;et? up sutficiently hio;h to shade the youns; Sjass ; 

 and in the middle of July, ew^s are turned in, with 

 their lambs, to feed it off!! This deserves attention ; 

 for the cole does not rob the land as corn does, while 

 the feeding of it occasions a great increase of manure : 

 the tares, however, are apt to smoother the young 

 grass. 



pable of irrigation, are the soils most commonly 

 laid doVn. It niust, however, he borne in mind, 

 that, notwithstanding every care in the choice of 

 the seeds, and the preparation of the soil tiir their 

 reception, there are so many casualties which in- 

 fluence the growth of plants, that the difli^reuce of 

 even half an inch in the quantity of rain which 

 ma}'' lidl in the course of the season will Iia\-e a 

 veiy decided effect in lessening the weight and 

 value of their produce, although thej' may be of 

 the like species, and in every respect, except as to 

 soil and focal eliniate, under exactly similar cir- 

 cumstances. Thus it has been justly observed 

 by a late eminent botanist, that clear or hot sun- 

 shine may be hiirhly beneficial on certain soils at 

 a particular period of the progress of the crop, and 

 on another and different soil it may be equally in- 

 jurious; and moist or damp weather, varies like- 

 wise in its beneficial effects — or the reverse — ac- 

 cording to the local circumstances of soil and site. 



The perennial grasses which are found in natu- 

 ral pastures, amount to considerably more than a 

 hundred did'erent kinds ; and there is no variety of 

 soil, but is provided by the bountiful hand of 

 nature with grasses peculiarly adapted to grow 

 and remain permanent in each. However simi- 

 lar many of these grasses may be, wdien in a state 

 of turfj no two species are found to agree in either 

 the time of their being in the greatest perfection, 

 the quantity or qualities of their nutritive matter, 

 or any of the properties which consiitute their va- 

 lue. Some are best for sheep, and flourish on ele- 

 vated districts; others are calculated, on medium 

 soils, for the dairy ; and those on rich marsh lands 

 for the fattening of cattle. Their periods of ripe- 

 ning are also different; and man}-, possessing dif- 

 ft'rent powers of withstanding the eflects ofdrought 

 or long-continued rains, consequently aflect various 

 kinds of soil. 



The grasses which compose the produce of the 

 richest natural meadow and pasture land, amount, 

 however, to only betv/een twenty and thirty dis- 

 tinct species, the rest being comparatively of little 

 value, and of these, there is not a month, fi-oni 

 spring until the close of autumn, but what, each 

 in its particular season, occasions a superior luxu- 

 riance of growth, and brings them to ripeness. It 

 will, therefore, be found, that by sowing; the seeds 

 of many grasses of dissimilar growth, there may 

 be secured throughout the summer a succession of' 

 fresh herbage, so dense and abundant as far to 

 surpass tl\at to be obtained by the cultivation of 

 only two or three species.* When combined, they 



* On this subject, the observations wliich we have 

 already made on hay-making, may suggest the advan- 

 tage of having in the same meadow, those grasses 

 which flower as nearly as possible at the same time ; 

 some farmers may, therefore, be convenienced by the 

 following enumeration, caiculatf'd as nearly as possible 

 upon an average of seasons and local climate: — 



In May and June, meadow fox-tail, flote fox-tail, 

 sweet-scented vernal-grass, narrow-leaved meadow- 

 grass, clover. 



In June and July, cock"s-foot, crested dog's-tail, yar- 

 row, bush-vetch, waved-hair and water-hair grass, tall 

 oat and yellow oat-grass, perennial rye-grass, fine and 

 creeping bent, all the species of the fescue, and the 

 poas, or meadow-grasses. 



In Jvly and August, flote fox-tail, fiorin, water-poa, 

 or reed meadow-grass (which is the latest of the poas.) 

 and meadow barley. 



The seeds of these grasses are generally ripe about 



