Proceedixgs of the Farmers' Club. 345 



English Treatment of Grass Lands. 



Mr. Henry Taylor, who has had large experience in England, on 

 the estate of the Duke of Bedford, gave us his method of managing 

 a meadow. 



Grass land in England is becoming more valuable every year in 

 consequence of the various kinds of like stock being so much 

 improved ; the produce of the dairy also is daily increasing in value. 

 Some of the permanent grass farms command a rental of from £± 

 to £10 per acre. The first step toward improving the grass farms 

 in England is to make drains, which should 'be quite five feet in 

 depth, and sixty-six feet apart, except in very tenacious soils, where 

 the drains should be thirty-three feet apart. The next operation is 

 to dress the lands with about fifteen loads per acre of a portion of 

 well-rotted farm-yard manure, soil of any description, road-scrapings, 

 ashes, lime, etc. Thoroughly mix the whole together in a large 

 heap, then allow the mass to remain six or eight months previous to 

 carting it on the fields, which should be done in autumn or fall. 

 This manure should be at once equally distributed over the grass, 

 and as soon as the weather in the spring will allow you to operate, 

 the grass should be first thoroughly harrowed with a pair of heavy 

 iron-toothed harrows in various directions across the field, which ope- 

 ration will thoroughly mix the manure with the surface of the grass. 

 Then all kinds of rubbish, such as stones, sticks, or any other matter 

 that will be objectionable to have in contact with the mowing- 

 machine, should be carefully picked off by lads, and carted away to 

 repair the roads near to frequented gateways on the farm, and then 

 the last but most important operation should be done — that is to 

 thoroughly roll, twice in a place, the whole of the grass. This ope- 

 ration is considered by the English farmer to be of the most and 

 greatest importance, for it is generally admitted that it is impossible 

 to consolidate too much the soil about the roots of all grasses. These 

 operations encourage the grass to spring up more thickly, and pro- 

 duce a better quality of herbage, both for grazing and for hay. The 

 comparison between grass-land, thus managed, as I have feebly 

 described, and that which is paid less attention to, is very remarkable, 

 and the apparent difference in the weight of grain per acre, also the 

 difference in the thrift of the cattle, is so glaring that no sensible 

 farmer would hesitate to treat his meadows in the manner I have 

 described ; for it is a well-known fact that land not only in England, 

 but in every country, will only remunerate occupiers by paying every 

 attention and farming it well and thoroughly ; and I feel that there 



