On Grass Land. 427 



ing the soiling system ; as the opportunity which it fur- 

 nishes of using all the grass grown in plantations or orch- 

 ards, which often supply early food, before the first crop of 

 clover is ready for cutting ( 357 ). Cattle, and other stock, 

 are also thus prevented from breaking fences, and getting 

 into fields, where they often do material damage to corn, 

 turnips, and other crops. It is likewise attended, in arable 

 culture, with this advantage, that when clover is cut, the 

 succeeding crop is uniformly better, than when the field is 

 pastured ( 3S8 ); and in regard to grass-lands, they are ex- 

 empted from the mischievous effects of poaching in wet 

 weather. Hence it is, that sheep are a preferable stock to 

 cattle, unless where the soiling system is adopted. 



In conducting the soiling process, the following rules are 

 recommended : To give food often, and in small quanti- 

 ties ; to attend to the manner in which the food is eaten by 

 the cattle, reducing the quantity, on the slightest symptom 

 of loss of appetite ; and to be cautious that clover is given 

 sparingly, especially when it is wet, to prevent the cattle 

 from being hoven ( 359 ). This may be effectually avoided, if 

 care be taken, to mow the clover two days in advance. It 

 is likewise advisable, (unless the cattle have been brought up 

 from their earliest age in houses), to give them the liberty of 

 a yard, in which they may enjoy fresh air and exercise ; and 

 when they are fed in stalls, it is indispensably necessary, 

 that they should be kept thoroughly clean, and frequently 

 curried. 



That the soiling system is attended with great labour in 

 cutting, collecting, and conveying the food, in feeding, 

 and keeping the stock clean, in carrying the manure to the 

 fields, and also occasions some expense in buildings, can- 

 not be denied ; but surely these objections are amply com- 

 pensated by the advantages above detailed. In all cases 

 therefore, where the soil and climate are favourable to the 

 practice of soiling, there cannot be a doubt of its utility, and 

 the propriety of its adoption ( 36 ). 



Making Clover into Hay. This process is quite different 

 from the plan of making hay from natural grasses. In ge- 

 neral, the clover ought to be mown before the plants have 

 fully blossomed, or, at any rate, before the seed is ripened, 

 that the full juice and nourishment of the clover may be re- 

 tained in the hay. By the adoption of this system, the hay 

 is cut in a better season, it can be more easily secured, 

 and it is much more valuable. Nor is the strength of the 

 plant lodged in the seed, which is often lost. 



