Of Permanent Pastures. 65 



clovers and grasses which, of course, bleeds them, and 

 should this topping be followed by frost — by no means 

 an impossible thing in some seasons — serious injury 

 would be caused. One of the worst errors usually 

 committed by farmers who have sown out either with 

 or without a crop is to turn lambs into the young 

 pasture the moment there is a supply of grass for 

 them. By doing so they acquire a slight gain, which 

 is sure to be followed by a loss that far outweighs the 

 trifling advantages obtained ; for many of the young 

 grass plants, having obtained but a slight hold of the 

 ground, are pulled up by the roots (I have watched 

 this cheering process), others have their roots ruptured, 

 and so are easily thrown out by frost, while others 

 — very small plants from seeds that have germinated 

 late — are injured, and perhaps stamped out of existence 

 if the weather is wet ; others, again, are injured by the 

 urine of the sheep, and by being lain upon ; and, lastly, 

 all the plants are injured by being cropped at that 

 early period, as the root growth is checked, and they 

 are therefore hindered from establishing themselves as 

 deeply in the ground as they otherwise would. For 

 all these reasons, then, it is obvious that, as a rule, 

 stock should not be allowed to enter a young grass 

 field during the year in which the seed is sown. If, 

 however, from any cause, the barley should be short 

 and scanty, while the growth of the grasses and clovers 

 is luxuriant, and likely to be injured from the grass being 

 laid; or, as in the case of the Bank field experiment 

 (vide Appendix III.), where it was desired to restrain 

 the growth of the chicory and the strong-growing 

 grasses, then the field may be lightly grazed with 

 lambs and calves after harvest, without any bad effect. 

 The next error, and one which is often committed, is 

 that of failing to carefully roll the land in the beginning 

 of winter and the spring following, for, in consequence 

 of this neglect, the plants are liable to be thrown out 

 by frost, and also to suffer from drought in the spring. 



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