On Grass Land. 411 



the hoofs of bullocks, cows, or heifers, are not so easily in- 

 jured, on any sort of pasture, as to require any precautions for 

 their safety. That old grass is more nutritive, and more easi- 

 ly digested than younger pasture, may be admitted ; but these 

 advantages are amply compensated, by the greater tender- 

 ness, and bulk of grasses, on new pasture ; nor are the powers 

 of digestion of horned cattle so very delicate, as to require 

 any particular attention. Richer butter, or distinguished 

 perhaps by higher flavour, may be procured from old, and 

 even from wild pasture ; but new pasture yields a fuller bite 

 to dairy cows, enables them to give greater abundance of 

 niilk, and produces cheese of superior quality. 



The stock maintained per acre, on the best grazing lands, 

 surpasses what could be fed on arable land, unless cultiva- 

 ted for lucern. It is not at all uncommon to feed from six 

 to seven sheep, in summer, and about two sheep in winter. 

 The sheep, when put on the grass, may weigh from 18 Ibs. 

 to 20 Ibs. per quarter, and the increase of weight would be 

 at the rate of 4 Ibs. per quarter, or 16 Ibs. per sheep. But 

 suppose in all, only 100 Ibs. at 8d. per pound, that would 

 amount to L. 3 : 17 : 10. The wool would be worth about 

 two guineas more, besides the value of the winter keep, and 

 the total may be stated at about L. 7 per acre, got at a tri- 

 fling expense. Such lands, it is evident, are highly profit- 

 able under the present system ( 3l1 ). 



In regard to lands of the first and second sorts, the tena- 

 cious clays and heavy loams, as they have been brought in a 

 succession of years, or perhaps of ages, into a state of great 

 productiveness, they cannot be ploughed without the risk of 

 injur}', unless in the neighbourhood of great towns, where 

 they could be supplied with abundance of manure, if it 

 should become necessary. As to the third sort, however, 

 the sound deep-soiled vale lands, they would not only be pro- 

 ductive of corn, if ploughed, but if free from stagnant mois- 

 ture in the subsoil, are admirably calculated ./or lucern, the 

 produce of which would be much more valuable, than any 

 crop of grass in their present state. Without dwelling how- 

 ever, upon that subject, it may be proper to observe, that 

 there are pasture lands of an inferior sort, which are too apt 

 to be confounded with those already described, and respect- 

 ing the propriety of occasionally appropriating them to 

 arable culture, there can hardly be a doubt. Such lands do 

 not depend upon their intrinsic fertility, but upon annual 

 supplies of manure, derived from the arable land in their 

 neighbourhood ( 3l *). 



