64 The After Management 



before it reached the full blooming stage, and made it 

 into hay. In the case of very rich land he omitted the 

 tares, and sowed 3 bushels of oats, and cut the crop for 

 hay whenever they were fully shot, and before the 

 grain had formed. The late Mr. Faunce de Laune's 

 experience was — and a very extensive experience he 

 had — that grass may be grown equally well with or 

 without a crop, and after any crop, excepting clover, 

 for, sown after clover, he found that the grass most 

 conspicuously failed. I now turn to a consideration of 

 that most important of all points connected with laying 

 down land to grass — the subsequent treatment of the 

 pasture. 



Some years ago, when discussing the whole question 

 of grass with a farmer who is most skilful in laying 

 down, and still more so in managing, his pastures, he 

 said that the management of the pasture is even of 

 more importance than the selection of the seed and the 

 preparation of the land. And this remark I am par- 

 ticularly anxious to impress upon all those who are 

 inexperienced in laying down land to grass, because 

 it is from the too common, careless treatment of young 

 pastures that such a number of complete and partial 

 failures occur. And farmers who have hitherto been in 

 the habit of only laying down grass to lie for a year, 

 or two years, and treating it in the way such grass is 

 usually treated, are too apt to treat in a similar manner 

 land laid down to permanent pasture, or that is to lie 

 for five or more years before being again ploughed. 

 And it is of the more importance to dwell on this 

 point, because the mixtures which ought to be used for 

 five or six years' lays, or for permanent pasture, are so 

 much more expensive than those usually sown in land 

 to lie for a short time. 



It is of great importance to leave a long stubble 

 when cutting corn with which seeds have been sown 

 in spring, to shield the young plants from frost and sun, 

 and cold winds; also to prevent the topping of the 



