1S37.J 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



675 



seeds which may be required to fill up the old 

 sward with plants, must, ot" course, depend upon 

 its deficiency in the difi'erent grasses: the fijll 

 quantity of seed required tor an acre, beino; about 

 (bur bushels. The meadow fescue, and tall oat- 

 Jike soft grass, and meadow cat's- tail, being, how- 

 ever, with the exception of fiorin, all plants of a 

 later habit of "-rowth than the others, and the 

 greater part of them sending up a second, or a 

 third growth of perfect herbage, suificiently point 

 out their superior v^alue lor winter keep.* 



The state of vegetation throughout winter, de- 

 pends much upon that of the atmosphere about 

 the beginning of the season. If it commences 

 with a sharp frost, unaccompanied with snow, it 

 nips the late spring grasses, and blights all that 

 have not attained maturity, so that they do not 

 again resume their freshness. If it begin with 

 immoderate rains and sleet, it so cools and washes 

 the surlace of the land, that a state of decay im- 

 mediately commences. Mr. Sinclair has observed, 

 that "when the average daily temperature has 

 not materially exceeded 46° of Fahrenheit, the 

 growth of pasture is, to all practical utility, sta- 

 tionary; and when the herbage that is produced 

 under a low temperature, and at a season when 

 the influence of the sun is weakest, is chemically 

 examined, the saccharine and mucilaginous mat- 

 ters, particularly the Ibrmer, are scarcely one-third 

 so much as in the herbage produced in a tempera- 

 ture, when the sun is nearly at its hio^hest degree." 

 No kind of weather, however, prolongs the winter 

 verdure more certainly than a steady ii'ost, accom- 

 panied with snow ; ibr in that dry state of^ the air, 

 snow afibrds a protection to immature plants, 

 which, uii'ler its cherishing cover, acquire some- 

 \vhat more of solidity and ripeness. 



Grass Land 



Of every kind may also be improved, b}^ merely 

 combining the seeds with a top-dressing of com- 

 post, or by simply harrowing in the seeds at the 

 proper season. The first method requires the 

 smallest quantity of seeds, and they will be more 

 productive during the first year; but by the latter, 

 a greater extent of pasture may be sown, and at a 

 less expense. 



In the first mnde, the top-dressinff, before being 

 applied, should be reduced to a finely divided state, 

 and should, if possible, consist of such materials 

 as will improve the texture of the surf;ice-soil, as 

 well as possess the essential principle of enriching 

 it: thus one-half spit-dung and one-half sandy 

 or light earth, partly road-scrapings, coal and 

 wood ashes, scourings of ditches, and dry pond- 

 mud, previously mixed with hot lime, and frequent- 

 ly turned during several months, have been used 

 with success. The hot lime is, however, only to 

 be used in the composts of ditch and pond-mud, 

 in which it is absolutely necessary, in order to 

 bring those substances into action. The comnost 

 being thus prepared, and in such a medium state 

 between moisture and dryness as to crumble freely 

 under the spade, is then in a fit condition to be 

 mixed with the seeds ; but this should be delayed 



* Sinclair on the grasses best suited for pasture 

 during winter. Prize Essay of the Hio;hland Society, 

 N. S., No. xi. See also Mr. William Hogg on winter 

 pasturage, ibid., No. xxii. 



until the day of sowing. They are best mixed 

 with top-dressing by passing both at the same 

 time through a coarse wire sieve ; and, after a lit- 

 tle practice, two men can prepare a large quantity 

 in one day. It ought not to be less than ten cubic 

 yards per acre. 



The sward must be prepared for the reception 

 of ihe seed by an ample harrowing, or coarse 

 scarifying, so elTectually performed as to bring the 

 dressing into complete contact with the soil; and 

 the operation, so far from injuring the old turfj 

 will be found to benefit it. Rolling, however, un- 

 less the land be very light, is not necessary, and, if 

 the ground be in a danq) state, may be attended 

 with mischief The best season is any lime in 

 March, or early in April, according as the state of 

 the weather and the nature of the soil admit of the 

 most effective working of the harrows or scarify- 

 ing. If] however, the pasture be laid up for hay, 

 the older grasses will greatly injure, or perhaps 

 overpower the seedlmgs ; the proper course is, 

 therefore, to pasture with young cattle stock, and 

 to keep off sheep during the first year. 



In the second mode, the grasses by which the 

 turf is to be renovated, are, as we have already 

 stated, introduced by merely scarifying the surfiice 

 in the former manner, but to the full, if not greater 

 extent ; and it is equally essential, that all stagnant 

 water be carried off by drainage. The seeds 

 should, however, be furnished in rather larger 

 proportion, because the powers of vegetation are 

 lessened by the want of the top-dressing ; but the 

 time of effecting the operation should be in all re- 

 spects, the same as in the first method. 



"As every different soil produces grasses pecu- 

 liar to itself, and as no other kinds can be estab- 

 lished or cultivated upon it without first changing 

 its nature to resemble that which produced those 

 species which we wish to introduce, it becomes 

 a point of the first importance in making experi- 

 ments on different kinds of the numerous hunily 

 of plants, and stating the results, to determine 

 with sufficient accuracy the nature of the soil, or 

 different soils employed, and to describe them ac- 

 cordingly." It may therefore be here almost un- 

 necessary to repeat, " that the basis of every im- 

 provement in the cultivation of grasses is, to sow 

 the seeds of those species only, which are adapt- 

 ed to the soil : or, to change the nature of unsuit- 

 able soils to that which is fitted for the growth 

 of grasses deemed more desirable ; and unless this 

 point be in the first place ascertained, and fully at- 

 tended to, disappointment, rather than success, 

 may be expected to follow the labors of the far- 

 mer.''* In this we entirely coincide with the re- 

 spectable author whom we have just quoted ; and 

 we also admit the justice of another remark made 

 by him, — "That airricnlture has been much dis- 

 couraged by the injudicious writings of those who 

 invidiously hold up empirical practice as compri- 

 sinir everything to be desired, or sought after, as a 

 guide in conducting the operations of husbandry, 

 and at the same time by insinuations and affected 

 sneers, endeavor to bring the service of scientific 

 knowledge into contempt." Yet we must take 

 leave to put our readers upon their iruard against 

 implicit confidence in the conclusions drawn by 

 him and Sir Humphry Davy regarding the com- 

 parative nutrhive powers of the grasses as detailed 



* Sinclair's Hort. Gr?im. Woburn., p. 115. 



