24 The Practical Stud Groom. 



or by excess of nutriment derived from manure, artificially 

 applied, or the droppings of the previous occupants of the 

 paddocks. In the former case, the cattle will eat the ripe 

 seeded grass if compelled by hunger to do so; but in the 

 case of the latter, will literally starve before they touch 

 the rank black growth. This would seem to point to the 

 necessity of stocking heavily enough with cattle, to ensure 

 that none of the grasses reach the seeding stage, to keeping 

 the cattle droppings scattered by hand labour as thinly 

 and evenly over the paddocks as possible, and the immediate 

 collection and removal of all horse droppings. 



But a great many points will have to be considered, and 

 most carefully weighed, before coming to a final decision 

 about the relative values of the mowing machine and cattle, 

 when applied to the problem of keeping a large acreage of 

 grass from going to seed and consequently in prime con- 

 dition for horses. Obviously, twenty mares on a 200 acre 

 grass farm will keep only an infinitesimal portion of the 

 herbage from reaching the seeding stage. It is equally 

 clear that, thoroughly to succeed in doing this, a huge head 

 of cattle will be required during the grass-growing months 

 of May, June, July and August, and that this will entail 

 the adoption of one of two equally costly systems. Either 

 the necessary number of cattle will have to be bought when 

 " keep " is beginning to get good, and sold when that 

 keep is failing in other words, buying on a rising market 

 and selling on a falling one; or it will entail " wintering " 

 the entire herd on hay. 



If the question of cost is left out of consideration 

 it is a case of "the mowing machine first, and cattle 

 nowhere." The machine makes an absolutely clean sweep 

 of the seeding grasses, and leaves never a "dropping" 

 behind; while the cattle, unless they swarm like locusts 



