Young on Laying Down Land to Grass. 55 



room ; they are quite sheltered from the sun in a 

 drought, and, being sown so late as June, and even part 

 of July, time for much tillage is afforded. Clover does 

 well with it. Young records that an agriculturist 

 (Dalton) had sown grass seeds with beans, which were 

 preceded by barley, and which again was preceded by 

 turnips, and the results were so successful that he 

 preferred this to all other methods. In order to note 

 the advantages of sowing grass seeds with oats as 

 against doing so with wheat. Young on one occasion 

 sowed 10 acres with 10 lbs. of chicory and 4 or 5 bushels 

 of cocksfoot per acre. Five acres were sown with 

 wheat and the rest with oats, and he found that the 

 cocksfoot did much better with the wheat. He speaks 

 highly in favour of sowing up land with wheat in the 

 beginning of September. He quotes an agriculturist 

 (Goring) who " once sowed grass seeds amongst turnips 

 in the spring, and the sheep trod them in with their 

 feet as they fed off the turnips. No com was sown 

 with them, and they flourished beyond any other." 

 After quoting other opinions. Young thus concludes his 

 section on laying down to grass : — 



"Upon the whole of these most valuable articles of inteUi- 

 genee, and combining them with the result of my own extensive 

 experience, I am decidedly of opinion that the best method is 

 to sow the seeds alone in August ; that the next best method is 

 to sow them "with buckwheat * in July ; after these I should 

 prefer rape in August on soils not apt to bind with treading ; 

 then conies the sowing with wheat early in September, and the 

 last and worst method is to sow them with spring com." 

 ( Fide p. 62.) 



As regards the subsequent managem.ent of the pasture, 

 Young's remarks show that there were great differences 



• Young elsewhere praises buckwheat highly as an ameliorating crop, 

 and one which increases the production of wheat. It deserves more 

 attention than it has received It takes little out of the soil, and he 

 quotes Tusser as observing that ''it is to the land a comfort or muck." 

 It is good for fattening swine and poultry, and as food for horses. 



