248 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK n. 



new " seeds " which are taken in rotation, and kept down for several 

 years. In the important dairying counties of the south-west of 

 Scotland, large herds of Ayrshire cows are pastured to a great extent 

 on such newly-seeded land, rye-grass being the chief component, and 

 the cheese and butter made from the milk are of excellent quality. 

 New pastures are not always considered to produce the best milk, 

 out on light soils they are commonly superior to old turf ; and while 

 in some old pastures there is too generally a large proportion of weeds 

 including various composite and umbellate plants which impart a 

 flavour to the milk, the newly-seeded land is usually free from them, 

 because all such plants have been destroyed by cultivation. The 

 newly-seeded land, too, if it has been properly cleaned, is free from the 

 following, which are sometimes found in old pastures: Hair-grass, 

 Yorkshire fog, quaking-grass, brome-grass, buttercups, plantains, and 

 other plants. These are weeds, cattle do not like them, and they 

 should be eradicated by lime and other top-dressings which sweeten 

 the soil and promote the growth of the better grasses. 



Some old pastures, indeed, are so foul with weeds and inferior grasses 

 that to plough them up, take a crop or two of corn, and a summer 

 fallow, or a crop of roots for which the land has been well cultivated, 

 would seem to be the quickest and surest way of exterminating 

 the intruders. On the dry, open soils, this may be done with advan- 

 tage, perhaps ; but on the heavy retentive soils such a course is 

 obviously out of the question on the ground of expense. Top-dressing, 

 indeed, with lime, or with superphosphate of lime and kainit, affords 

 the best solution of the heavy land problem, so far as permanent 

 pasture is concerned. It is likewise worthy of note, that although the 

 long rank grass, growing in orchards or other places, in general feeds 

 well, and produces a flush of milk, yet such milk will neither be so 

 rich, nor carry so much cream in proportion, as the milk of the cows 

 that are fed upon short fine grass ; nor will the butter be so good. 



The quantity and quality of milk are materially affected by driving 

 cows a long distance from one pasture to another ; hence it will be 

 proper to have the steading in as central a part of the farm as 

 possible. It is also of essential importance to have pastures well 

 sheltered and enclosed, as the produce of milch kine will be greatly 

 improved, or deteriorated, according to the attention or disregard 

 bestowed on this point ; for, when confined within proper inclosures, 

 they not only feed more leisure!} 7 , and are better protected against bad 

 weather, but are also less liable to disturbance than when they wander 

 into other fields. Shelter from the rays of the sun ; immunity from 

 being chased about by flies, or dogs, or foolish people ; and moderate 

 warmth and quiet are also greatly conducive, to an increase of milk. 



With regard to the housing of milch kine during summer, a 

 common practice is, where there are proper enclosures, to send them 

 out in the evening, in order that they may lie out during the night, 

 while in the heat of day they are kept more cool and quiet in the cow- 

 sheds than in the fields. The advantages resulting from this course 

 are obvious, for the cattle obtain in the night the exercise which is 



