CHAP. iv. LAYING LAND DOWN TO GRASS. 811 



certain extent this may be done ; but experience has proved that all 

 land has a tendency to reproduce those plants which are indigenous 

 to the soil, and that, after a few years, varying according to the care 

 and attention that have been bestowed on the cultivation, the natural 

 productions will supersede those which have been artificially sown. 

 This is one of the strongest reasons why sound old meadow land of 

 rich quality should never be broken up until after the most mature 

 consideration ; for to reproduce it, from land newly laid down, is one 

 of the most difficult and uncertain operations of husbandry. 



No land will make a good meadow unless the soil is sufficiently deep 

 to allow the roots of the grasses to extend beyond the reach of the 

 summer heat, sufficiently retentive to hold water long enough to con- 

 tribute to the growth of the plant, and possessed of such an absorbent 

 substratum as will drain away the moisture before putrefaction sets in. 

 None but land of this description, therefore, should be laid down to 

 grass, unless lime, clay, chalk, marl, or other ameliorating dressings 

 can be procured on or near the spot. 



Besides these considerations, there are other circumstances of very 

 material importance in the laying away of lands in meadow. The 

 following points will be found worthy of notice : 



1. A practical acquaintance with the best natural grasses, and their 

 favourite soils. 



2. Attention to early growth is of equal moment, especially as, from 

 a variety of unforeseen accidents, the most careful farmer may not 

 always have a stock of food adequate to the consumption of his cattle. 

 The fluctuations in season will often produce considerable variation in 

 the forwardness or the backwardness of grass crops. Hence the necessity 

 of having enclosures that are warmly situated, not too humid, of a 

 moderate size, and well sheltered, will be obvious ; for then the ill effects 

 resulting from severe winters, or the prevalence of north-easterly winds 

 during the spring, will be in some measure counteracted. The early 

 grasses appear to be most coveted by cattle, and they will naturally 

 thrive best on that which is most agreeable to their palate ; so that, an 

 early bite, and an early hay-making and hay-harvest, and the con- 

 sequent early use of the after-grass, or rowen, are very important 

 objects to the farmer. 



3. An acquaintance with the soils respectively favourable to various 

 grasses, and with the relative hardiness of the latter, is another 

 requisite, without which no good meadow can be formed ; and this can 

 only be obtained by actual experience. Some grasses are less able to 

 endure moisture than others, and of course flourish best in dry and 

 upland situations ; while others are unfit for dry soils, but vegetate 

 luxuriantly in moist lands ; others, again, are only fit for the poorest 

 lands. There are, however, numerous grasses that will flourish in 

 almost every soil, excepting in extremes of wet and dry. It is un- 

 necessary here to specify the various species indicated, as they will be 

 detailed in a subsequent chapter. 



In laying down land to grass, the most important primary object is 

 duly to prepare it for the reception of the seed. On account of the 



