400 On Grass Land. 



former state of richness and productiveness. A power is 

 thus placed in the hands of every farmer, not only to reno- 

 vate impoverished soils, but to convert the inert riches accu- 

 mulated in old, but defective grass land, into valuable corn 

 and bulbous crops, and to reconvert such soils, into im- 

 proved pasture, as either the interests of individuals, or of 

 the nation at large, may at any time require. 



To effect these important results however, it is at all times 

 essential, that the farmer should devote his capital, skill and 

 attention, to the execution of the practical details of this im- 

 portant branch of husbandry, with the same assiduity, which 

 he bestows on the successful culture of the more important 

 crops, as wheat and turnips, produced on arable land. Hence, 

 among other particulars, the following are required ; a care- 

 ful selection or choice of the peculiar kind or variety of the 

 species of plant, that is best adapted to the nature of the 

 soil, and its local climate, judicious plans for altering the 

 texture of the soil to suit a combination of the superior fat- 

 tening grasses, as the addition of clay or sand, calcareous 

 substances, &c. improvements in the local climate, by 

 planting, draining, &c. a proper preparation of the soil 

 for the reception of the seed, the due weight or measure of 

 the latter, careful and seasonable sowing, and judicious 

 after-management, or mode of culture. 



There is one exception however, to this comparison be- 

 tween the successful culture of pasture grasses, with the view 

 of establishing a permanent pasture of the best quality, in 

 the space of two seasons, and that of the successful culture 

 of other husbandry crops, namely, that in the latter, the crop 

 consists of one species or variety only, while in the former, 

 the crop, to be peculiarly productive and nutritive, must con- 

 sist of many different species, combined in certain propor- 

 tions, suited to the peculiar texture, and constitution of dif- 

 ferent soils. A comparison of the composition of the richest 

 natural pastures, with that of such as are of inferior value, 

 proves, without exception, that an intimate combination or 

 admixture, of from at least eight to twenty different species 

 and varieties, of the proper grasses and clovers, are employ- 

 ed by nature, to produce, and keep permanent, the most nu- 

 tritive and valuable pasture, and consequently, are equally 

 necessary in the formation of artificial pastures. There 

 should also be, an intimate state of admixture or combination, 

 so that two individual plants of the same species, do not 

 stand without an intervening plant of another and different 

 species. The number of plants, or seeds sown likewise, 



