38 PRACTICAL NOTES ON GRASSES AND GRASS GROWING, 
general mischief by feeding the grass too closely, and they eat 
away the entire crown, leaving nothing but the roots, which 
the air and sun soon destroy. The observer will also find 
another disadvantage of grazing sheep upon his young layers 
on account of their partiality for the youngest and tenderest of 
the grasses, which they pluck out with a jerk peculiar to their 
habit of feeding, and if the seedlings have not got a firm hold 
many of the best and youngest plants will be plucked out and 
eaten roots and all. It is for these reasons we advise the 
scythe and roll, and deprecate feeding down with stock. 
The judicious handling of old pastures rests on somewhat 
similar lines to what we have named above; if they are 
handled differently what has been a good pasture will soon 
become next door to worthless. Old pasture should be fed 
two or three times each summer, first by fat or dainty mouthed 
cattle, next by rougher and hungrier cattle, and then by a 
flock. Moderate the feeding in accordance with the weather ; 
during drought it may be advisable to withdraw from feeding 
it altogether, but in wet weather, and when the pasture is 
growing freely, it can hardly be too closely fed. Afterwards 
the chain harrows should be run over it, the molehills and 
droppings of the stock scattered, and the field closed for three 
or four weeks. A strong, regular sward of fresh nutritious feed 
should be the result of this treatment, and in one summer the 
pasture should improve so much that it may be mown with 
impunity the next. 
It will be remembered that certain grasses are more particu- 
larly feeding grasses, others are more particularly mowing 
grasses ; hence the necessity for the hungrier animals, in order 
that the mowing grasses, which are not so much appreciated 
for feed, may be cleared off evenly with the others. 
On good land a pasture may be laid down to mow almost 
every year, but the land must be really good to do this, 
although it is sometimes done on inferior land when it has 
