236 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



recommendation, be sown with a mixture of 3 pecks 

 of barley-like sheep's fescue, 3 pecks of cock's-foot, 1 

 peck of crested dog's-tail, 2 pecks of yellow oat grass, 



1 peck of rye grass, 1 peck of flat-stalked meadow 

 grass, 1^ peck of various-leaved fescue, 2 pecks of 

 hard fescue, 1 ft), of lesser bird's trefoil, and 3 lbs. of 

 white clover. Or any average hill land, for perma- 

 nent sheep pasture, may, according to the recom- 

 mendation of Mr. Stirling, of Glcubervie, be sown 

 with a mi.xture of 9 lbs. of foxtail, 2j lbs. of cock's- 

 foot, 3 J lbs. of meadow fescue, 4J lbs. of hard fescue, 

 4i lbs. of Italian rye-grass, 3 lbs. of red clover, 4 lbs. 

 of yellow clover, 4 lbs. of white clover, 8 lbs. of timo- 

 thy grass, 2 lbs. of rib grass, and 1 lb. of yarrow. 

 Or, according to the recommendation of Messrs, 

 GiBBS, of London, light soils for permanent pasture 

 may be sown with a mixture of 3 lbs. of perennial 

 rye grass, 3 lbs. of Italian rye grass, 2 lbs. of meadow 

 foxtail, 4 lbs. of cock's-foot, 2 Iba of meadow fescue, 



2 fts. of hard fescue, 1 lb. of rough-stalked meadow 

 grass, 2 lbs. of smooth-stalked meadow grass, 3 lbs. 

 of wood meadow grass, 2 lbs. of sweet-scented vernal 

 grass, 2 lbs. of timothy grass, 4 lbs. of red clover, 5 

 lbs. of white clover, and 3 lbs. of perennial red clo- 

 ver ; and heavy soils for permanent pasture may be 

 sown with a mixture of 4 lbs. of perennial rye grass, 



4 lbs. of Italian rye grass, 2 lbs. of meadow foxtail, 



5 lbs. of cock's-foot, 3 lbs. of meadow fescue, 1 lb. 

 of hard fescue, 2 fts. of rough-stalked meadow grass, 

 1 lb. of smooth-stalked meadow grass, 4 lbs. of wood 

 meadow grass, 2 lbs. of sweet-scented vernal gras.s, 4 

 lbs. of timothy grass, 5 lbs. of red clover, 6 lbs. of 

 white clover, and 4 lbs. of perennial white clover. 

 The reasons for intermixing such short-lived plants as 

 Italian rye grass and biennial red clover, are that 

 they spring rapidly up, afford herbage during the first 

 year for stock, and then die out to give place for the 

 diffusion and the increased bulk of the other plants, 

 and that, on the other hand, the more durable plants, 

 if sown without them, must either be sown so thin as 

 not to afford herbage for stock in the first year, or so 

 thick as to incommode and tangle one another in the 

 second and following yeai-s. 



" For dry lands, a good addition to all judicious 

 mixtures of true grasses and clovers, lie the mixtures 

 what they may, is from 2 lbs. to 4 lbs. of sheep's 

 fescue to every acre of elevated sheep pasture, and 

 10 oz. of yarrow to every acre of light low laud. 

 But for healthy or moory lands, which have been 

 pared and burned, or which have been otherwise 

 operated upon with a ■view to the improvement of 

 their capacities for herbage, only the cheapest and 

 most facile mixtures can be afforded. When the 

 lands are less than 500 feet of altitude above sea 

 level, and are tolerably dry, a sufficient mixture, along 

 with a corn crop, may be either 25 lbs. of mixed hay 

 seeds, and 5^ lbs. of white clover, or 17 lbs. of mixed 

 hay seeds, 3 J lbs. of Itahan rj'e grass, and 5| lbs. of 

 white clover; and without a corn crop, may be either 

 32 lbs. of mixed hay seeds, 6 J lbs. of white clover, 

 and two-thirds of a bushel of rye or barley, or 21 lbs. 

 of mixed hay seeds, 4J lbs. of Itahan rye grass, 6j 

 lbs. of white clover, and two-thirds of a bushel of 

 rye or barley. If the lands are wet, part of the 

 mixed hay seeds may be substituted by from 14 lbs. 

 to 34 Iba of timothy grass, from 2 ibg. to 3| lbs. of 



rough-stalked meadow grass, from 1 lb. to 2 lbs. of 

 meadow soft grass, and from 1 lb. to 2 lbs. of florin ; 

 and if the lauds are 500 feet or upwards of altitude 

 above the level of the sea, especially if they are dry 

 and intended for sheep pasture, the whole mixture 

 may consist of 2| lbs. of sheep's fescue, 1 lt>. of zig- 

 zag hair grass, 2 lbs. of hard fescue, and 2 lb.s. of 

 perennial red clover. 



" Pasture land, when intended to produce the 

 greatest possible quantity of good herbage during 

 the months of winter and early spring, obviously re- 

 quires to be sown with a pecuhar selection of grasses; 

 and if it be of any ordinary quality, it may, accord- 

 ing to the recommendation of the late Mr. Sinclair, 

 be advantageously sown with a mixture of 4 jwcks 

 of cock's foot, 3 pecks of meadow fescue, 5 of a peck 

 of meadow cat's-tail or true timothy grass, 1 peck of 

 broad-leaved bent or florin, 2 pecks of taU oat-like 

 soft grass, 2 pecks of buruet, 6 lbs. of perennial red 

 clover, and 8 lbs. of white clover. If the land have 

 very heavy soU, and be constantly depastured with 

 cattle, some tall fertile meadow grass ought to be 

 added to the mixture ; and if the land have a {joor 

 soil and possess considerable elevation, some wooly 

 soft gi-ass ought to be added. 



"A water meadow, with a light soil, may be sown | 

 with a mixture of 2 J lbs. of floiin, 1^ lb. of meadow 

 foxtail, 1 lb. of loliaceous fescue, 2| lbs. of meadow 

 fescue, 1 J lb. of tall fescue, 2| lbs. of floating glyceria, 

 6 lbs. of Italian rye grass, 7 lbs. of perennial rye 

 grass, 1 lb. of reed canary grass, 2 lbs. of timothy 

 grass, 2| lbs. of rough-stalked meadow grass, and 2 

 lbs. of greater bird's-foot trefoil. A water meadow, 

 with a heavy soil, may be sown with a mixture of 

 2| lbs. of florin, 1^ lb. of meadow foxtail, 3 lbs. of 

 loliaceous fescue, 2^ lbs. of meadow fescue, 2 lbs. 

 of tall fescue, 2| lbs. of floating glyceria, 6 lbs. of 

 Italian rye grass, 7 lbs. of perennial rye grass, IJ lb. 

 of reed canary grass, 3| lbs. of timothy grass, 3^ lbs. 

 of rough-stalked meadow grass, and 2 lbs. of greater 

 bird's-foot trefoil. A water meadow, of medium 

 quality of soil, may of course be sown with quantities 

 intermediate between those for the light soil and the 

 heavy soil. In all cases, also, a bushel of rye seeds 

 per acre may be sown to shelter the seedling meadow 

 grasses; and when the expense of the mixtures is felt 

 to be an objection, this may be lessened to the amount 

 of from 4s. to 5s. per acre by excluding the meadow 

 foxtail, and taking only half the quantity of the greater 

 Ijird's-foot trefoil. ' LFnder most circumstances, how- 

 ever,' says Mr. Lawson, the recoramender of the mix- 

 tures, 'it will be advisable to retain the full quantity 

 of the greater bird's-foot trefoil, not only from its 

 being the best adapted of the clover tribe for with- 

 standing excess of moisture, but also from its attain- 

 ing to full maturity at a late period of the season, 

 when the growth of the grasses generally becomes 

 less vigorous.' 



" A mixture for sowing -svith a gi-ain crop in the 

 alternate husbandry, whether the forage is intended 

 for one year, ibr two years, or even for three years, 

 has very generally consisted of simply perennial rye 

 grass, red clover and white clover, varying m propor- 

 tion according to the nature of the soil, the circum- 

 stances of the culture, and the judgment or caprice 

 of the farmer. Sainfoin and lucerne have also been 



