19 



The Selection of Grasses and 

 Clovers 



Ali. the operations which concern the making of a pasture are 

 important, but it is no exaggeration to say that a judicious 

 selection of the various grasses and clovers which are to 

 constitute the crop may be justly regarded as vital to success. 

 Failure here means the waste of all other energies, for it is 

 worse than useless to incur the labour and expense of establish- 

 ing plants which are not wanted. However good they may 

 be elsewhere, they will be no better than weeds if they fail to 

 answer the required purpose. The choice of suitable seeds has 

 provoked greater conflict of opinion, both among theorists and 

 practical men, than aught else, and in my opinion the main 

 cause of the controversy arises from the attempt to deduce 

 large inferences from small experience. The laying down of 

 land to grass is only an occasional incident on most farms — 

 perhaps it would be correct to say on most estates. It is the 

 exception to find persons who are able to speak from experience 

 based upon actual practice over more than a very limited area. 

 Yet the man who has achieved a single success in laying 

 down land may wi'ite to a daily or weekly newspaper, or 

 deliver a speech at a local farmers' club, fi'om which it 

 might be assumed that the agriculturists of the United 

 Kingdom will find in a particular mixture of seeds the 

 preventive of all the ills to which grass lands are subject. 

 A little knowledge on laying down land is a very dangerous 

 thing. No prescription, however excellent every one of the 



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