Pastures Should not be Overstocked. 67 



A third, and very important error, is commonly com- 

 mitted by overstocking the land early in the spring 

 following the year in which the grass seeds have been 

 sown, for Sinclair "found, on repeated trials, that crop- 

 ping seedling grasses before they had produced flowers 

 had the effect of retarding and weakening the after- 

 growth of the plant for that season very much." And 

 on my referring the point to Mr. Carruthers — botanist of 

 the Eoyal Agricultural Society of England — he replied 

 as follows : — 



"The after-growth of gi-asses depends on the strength of the 

 plant, and especially on the hold it has on the ground. Up to 

 flowering the plant is making itself above and below ground. 

 Flowering and fruiting are exhaustive processes, and while this 

 goes on the plant does not extend itself ; but the after- growth 

 of the plant will be improved by its growing as long as it can 

 up to flowering." 



And it is for these reasons that I prefer to take a crop 

 of hay in the first year,* and this seems to be the usual 

 practice, if I may judge by the opinions collected on 

 the subject by the Eoyal Agricultural Society, and 

 which appeared in the Journal of April, 1888. Of the 

 agriculturists consulted (of whom I was one) sixteen 

 mow the first year, three do not mow, one may mow 



* Our subsequent experience shows that, though in the case of tlie 

 grass seed miartiures formerly used it was considered advisable to take hay 

 the first year, and not to graze the pasture in the spring of the first year, 

 pastures sown with the Bankfield or other Clifton Park mixtures can 

 either be grazed in the first year up to the 15th or 20th of May, and 

 hayed afterwards in the same year, or grazed throughout the first year 

 and hayed in the second year, or any subsequent year that may suit the 

 plans of the farmer. The Bowmont-side field— 17 acres— for instance, 

 was sown in 1904, grazed throughout 1905, and hayed in 1906, when it 

 gave certainly more than two tons an acre of hay, and the aftermath 

 afforded fine grazing, and this year (1907) the grazing is most satisfactory. 

 Farmers, tken, who desire to keep the first year's grass entirely for 

 grazing, instead of, as customary, haying the first year, can, if my 

 mixtures are used, reserve all their first year's grass for their ewes 

 and lambs. 



F 2 



