32 Astonishing Results. 



I had not thought of trying to take a crop of hay 

 from it, but, as my factor wished to do so, I allowed 

 him, as an experiment, to make the attempt. The 

 result for such land was really astonishing, and surprised 

 the various agriculturists who, by my suggestion, visited 

 the field, for a crop of hay was grown which was as good 

 as that produced on the best low-lying lands. There 

 was no weighing machine on the farm, but from a 

 careful estimation of the stacks, the crop was not less 

 than two tons an acre, and the field yielded a fine 

 aftermath. After such a crop of hay on such poor land, 

 which had never been manured since it was enclosed 

 from l^e hill some 70 years before, I expected that the 

 field would afford poor grazing, but was agreeably 

 surprised to find that an excellent account of its grazing 

 capabilities was given by the shepherd and steward. 



It will be observed that, in the case of the field 

 from which the hay was taken, the field was cropped 

 with turnips after being ploughed up, and the following 

 year laid down again to grass with a crop, and was 

 not put through our usual four-crop rotation — i.e., a 

 turnip crop, a cereal one, another turnip crop, and 

 laying down again with a cereal crop ; and this course 

 was adopted because of the extreme poverty of the 

 land. Indeed, in the case of such poor soil it is 

 doubtful whether the land, when again laid down, 

 should be laid down with a crop ; but this is a point 

 which will again be referred to when I come to weigh 

 in a subsequent chapter, the various methods of laying 

 down to grass. 



In the year following the hay crop of two tons an 

 acre, the field was grazed with sheep and lambs. And 

 this year (1898) the field (much to my astonishment, 

 after having yielded such a hay crop, and so much good 

 grazing the year afterwards) has again exceeded my 

 utmost expectations, showing that the manurial effects 

 of the ploughed-up turf is still going on. And I say 

 my utmost expectations, because, in the case of such 



