AGRICULTURE. 



returned to the soil, for all that is thus 

 detatchedfrom it. In consequence, more- 

 over, of depasturing lands, the plants, 

 being unable to propagate themselves 

 by seed, do it by root, forming a compact 

 and matted turf, incapable of sending 

 forth strong and powerful stems, to form 

 a good crop of hay, but abounding in 

 slender and delicate shoots, such as the 

 closeness of the turf will alone permit to 

 pass, and which constitute a most nou- 

 rishing and pleasing food for cattle. These 

 two modes of employing land therefore 

 should not be intermixed. What has for 

 some time been applied to either pur- 

 pose should, by all means, be permitted 

 to remain so ; and to attempt to alternate 

 the application of grass lands between 

 pasture and cropping, is an effectual me- 

 thod of completely defeating botli objects. 



The difficulty of restoring old, rich, 

 and clean pastures to their original state, 

 after their being broken up, should ever 

 prevent their being so, unless in very 

 extraordinary cases^ In common times 

 they can be applied to no better purpose 

 than their actual one : whenever it is ex- 

 pedient to direct them to the raising of 

 grain, they will be certain to produce it 

 in immense abundance. 



With respect to the improvement of 

 which grass lands are generally suscepti- 

 ble, those, of course, should in the first 

 instance be applied to them, which are 

 connected with draining and inclosure, 

 which happily coincide with each other, 

 as the ditch serves at once for dividing 

 and defending the land, and for cleaning 

 off the redundant moisture. Irrigation 

 also, which, as well indeed as the last- 

 mentioned topics, has been already ad- 

 verted to, from its obvious and admirable 

 utility to pasture, will derive every atten- 

 tion in this connection. In spring a heavy 

 wooden roller should be applied, when 

 the weather is moist, as it will then make 

 the greater impression. The roots of the 

 plants will thus be fixed in the soil. The 

 mould will be crushed, and the worm- 

 casts levelled by this practice ; and the 

 ground is prepared by it for the applica- 

 tion of the scythe, which will, in conse- 

 quence of this operation, cut deeper, and 

 with more facility. 



The stocking of poor pastures with 

 sheep, rather than black cattle, is of parti- 

 cular consequence to their improvement, 

 and the perseverance in this practice for 

 years, the sheep being folded upon the 

 spot, has been more recruiting to poor 

 soils, than any other practice. A habit 

 of matting its roots is given to the grass 



by the close bite of these animals, and a 

 growth of delicate herbage is promoted. 

 Weeds are likewise cleared by sheep, as 

 every thing 1 young 1 and tender (even 

 heath and broom) is readily eaten by 

 them. By means also of the dung" neces- 

 sarily arising, an amelioration of the soil 

 as well as produce takes place, of extreme 

 and surprising importance. The sweet- 

 ness of the feed on the downs of Wilt- 

 shire arises, not so much from any natu- 

 ral and characteristic excellence of the 

 grass grown on them, as from its being- 

 kept close, and eaten as rapidly as it vege- 

 tates. It has been remarked, that on cer- 

 tain poor soils, it requires much more 

 time to produce the second inch of vege- 

 tation than the first, making allowance 

 for the fuller development and size ac- 

 companying the second ; a circumstance 

 indicating that the preference should in 

 such cases be given to the feeding by 

 sheep rather than by cattle. The for- 

 mer remarks, however, on this subject, 

 concerning the inapplicability of land thus 

 depastured for rearing crops of hay, 

 must never be forgotten. 



Quicklime, spread in powder over the 

 surface of pasture lands, will scarcely fail 

 to improve, not only the poor, but the 

 more valuable ones. The moss plants, 

 which are so particularly pernicious, are 

 thus destroyed, and converted into valua- 

 ble manure. Upon impoverished and 

 worn-out lands, about 270 bushels per 

 acre, on the sward, in the summer, will 

 be found of great and durable efficacy in 

 cleaning and improving them. Mixing 

 lime with earth taken from ditches or 

 ponds is superior to using it alone, and, 

 as a general rule, double the quantity of 

 earth should be mixed with that of lime. 

 The requisite proportions vary, however, 

 with the nature of the soils; but are 

 easily ascertained by attentive workmen. 



Paring and burning may be applied to 

 pasture with great success in a partial 

 manner, by grubbing up rushes and bush- 

 es with which it may be encumbered, 

 burning them after they are dried, and 

 before the autumnal rains come on spread- 

 ing their ashes on the surface. In some 

 instances this husbandry may be success- 

 fully exercised on pasture over the whole 

 surface, as particularly on a poor worn 

 out ley ; which, by such a process, attend- 

 ed with the harrowing in of white clover, 

 and several other grass seeds, at the time 

 of spreading the ashes, hasbeen improved 

 into a very fine meadow. Where suita- 

 ble, such a practice may be regarded as 

 one of the cheapest of all improvements. 



