GRASS. 



may be prncr.red with cafo, and b'j bjiiL-ficially employed in 

 the forming of grafa-laiids. 



In regard to the arrangement of thcfo different grafTes, as 

 they relate to, or are prop.'r for different forts of foil, it 

 is fully (licwn in fpcaking of the methods of bringing land 

 into the ftate of grafs or Iward. See Laying I^and doivn to 

 Grafs. 



But befides the plants that have been noticed above, it " is 

 remarked that there are many others, fome of which have 

 been tried under his direction, wliich dcferve much attention ; 

 but he has not named tliem in the above-mentioned lill, be- 

 caufe the feed cannot be procured but witli difficulty : fome 

 perennial vetches, clovers, melilots, lotufes, &.c. &c. And 

 feveral others are highly Ipoken of by fome writers ; yet as 

 his own trials have not been equally fuccefsful, he is not au- 

 tnorifed to recommend them. He never tried the v'lc'ui fcphim 

 fufficiently, to give an opinion of it ; but, by Mr. Swayne's 

 account, it defervesmuch attention." 



However, in confidering the modes of laying lands to die 

 flateof fward, lifts containing the proportions or quantities 

 of different forts of grafs-feeds fultable for different forts of 

 land, are offered to the attention of the cultivator. See 

 Laying Land Jcton to Grafs. 



It is remarked in a general way by the fame writer " that 

 if the land laid to grais be intended for flieep, it is not an 

 objeft of very great confequence to fow only the finer graffes ; 

 as clofe feeding after the lirfl year will make any grafs named 

 in the fills fine, fwect, and produclive ; but this effect de- 

 pends altogether on its being conllantly fed clofe, that is, 

 all feed-flems being prevented from riling. Every good 

 farmer is fenfible of the necefTity of this with ray -grafs, but 

 mofl unaccountably does not extend a hmilar concern to 

 other graffes. Above 200 acres under tlie autlior's manage- 

 ment liave been laid down to grafs, chiefly tor Ihecp ; and he 

 has ftocked the fields fo ciu'ly in fpring, and fo thickly, as 

 juft to keep down the ieed-ftems : the cock's-foot, oat grafs, 

 and Yorkflxire white, with this management, have proved 

 fweet feeding graiies, not at all reiecled, even in fields 

 where the flock had a choice. Several writers feem to have 

 been very fenfible of the confequence of clofe feeding. Mr. 

 Davis, in the V/ilifhire PveiJort, fays, "the fweetnefs of the 

 feeds on the downs of Wilts depends much more on its being 

 kept clofe, and eate,n as fail as it (hoots, than on any particu- 

 lar good quality of the grafs ittelf ; for there are many 

 downs tliat, when clofe fed, appear to be a very fweet paf- 

 ture, but which, if fuffered to run a year or two wittu,ut a 

 full flock on them, will become fo coarfe, that Ihcep will id- 

 moft as foon ilarve as eat the grafs." 



And in the Survey of the County of Stirling in Scotland, 

 •it is ftated, that, upon Benlomond, &c. tlie palturing of 

 flieep has evidently, in the courfe uf twenty years pafl, im- 

 . proved the quality of the herbage fo as to raife grals of a 

 good fpecies, and in very confideraiile abundance, where no- 

 thing formerly prevailed but bad kinds of grafs, and tliefe 

 in no great plenty : and the practice bids fair to bunifn heatfi 

 from all the places that are pallui'ed by fheep." 



Further, Lille, who was the beft writer on hnlTjandry we 

 ,liad for m.any ages, alfo remarks, " tliat thcr.- .-'.re poor foils 

 which require a much longer time to grow a fecond inch 

 than the firll, and that confeqiiently on fuch it is nuicli more 

 prdfi:.;ib!e to keep fliecp than cattle." The writer, on tirfl 

 readii.g this paffage, nude the experiment on land of lis. 

 and ijj-.'an acre, clipping the plants with fcilTars, and care- 

 fully meafuring and weighing the produce, and comparing it 

 with neighbouring plants left to perfe£l the fe^d-ilem ; tl>c 

 fuperiori:y was proportioned to the times of cutting. Shecp- 

 feeding not only, he faySj ameliorates, by enriching the foil 



and finmgtheherbagcbiitalfobydeflroyingwcfds. Ragwi 

 with whicli the bullock-grounds of Limerick, in Ireland, 

 overrun for want of Iheep is, it is obferved, 

 them : and 

 inllance of 



ort, 

 are 

 , , ,, .. • • -, mucliafFccledby 



them : and Mr. Marfliall, in his York Lconomv, gives an 

 a mcadov.-, foul in the extreme with knobwecd, 

 cured by palhiring it repeatedly in the fpring with (hccp. 

 But here, a counter remark mull he made, which is, that 

 after a held has been pafhired long with (hcep, and clofe fed, 

 It !)ecomes unable to yield a growth of hay : the plants, by 

 being conflantly cropped down, acquire a dwarfilh habit, 

 however jpiick tlie growih in that early ftage. There is a 

 fmall field on the ellate which he manages, which has been 

 undtr grafs, time immemorial, and kept fed for the lafl forty 

 years at leafl, except one year in which it was mown, ex- 

 peeling a vail crop : the feafoii was verj- favourable, but he 

 was utterly difappointcd, for the produce was fmall. He 

 has known the fame thing hajjpen on inclofing an old con;- 

 mon. In Scotland a fimilar remark has been made by Mr. 

 Wight. " Two inclofurcs of the fame foil were laid down 

 together with grafs-feeds of tlie fame kind : after two years' 

 hay, the one was furrendered t.) paflure ; from the other a 

 crop of liay was taken every other year. After feven yc-ars' 

 abfence, the proprietor returned home, and wanting more hay. 



mowed both, and that which had been palhired gave the 

 worft crop." Something like the fame thing has been ob- 

 fervcd in Switzerland, as ftated in the Tranfaftions of the 



Berne Society. It has occurred alfo in other inftances. 



With regard to the forming of grafs or fward, the pro- 

 curing of good feed has been found, from long experience in 

 every part of the kingdom, to be of all other works the worft. 

 executed by tenants : ihey fow tlie cheapeft feeds which can 

 be procured, that is, common clover or ray, or the rubbilh 

 of their hay-lofts : the clover gives a crop the lirft year ; 

 but, as it wears out, all forts uf trumpery fucceed, if the 

 foil be not good enough to run fpontaneoufly to white clo- 

 ver. Great care lliould therefore be taken by Uie owners of 

 lands, wliich are to he brought into a ftate of gi-afs, to have 

 proper forts of grafs-feeds jirovided. About 25X. will pur- 

 chafe the feeds 111 mofl inftances : the expence may be rec- 

 koned from 2ct. to 30.-. per acre ; but depending on various 

 circumltances, as tlie llate of markets, and the price of la- 

 bour. Of the feeds recommended, the following are to be 

 bought in any quantity : cow-grafs, Yorkfliire white, Timo- 

 thy from Air,<.iiea, white closer, trefoil, niy, burnet, rib. 

 And dog's-tail and coek"s-fjot are cafily gathered by hand. 

 Moll of the grafs-feeds that have been reeommcn''ed as ufc- 

 ful in forming good grafs-lands may indeed, now, we bi-Iievc, 

 be had of the different fcedsmen in London, and other phiccs, 

 as already noticed. 



And the befl methods of preparing the land, fowing 

 the fced^, and managing tlie new grafs-lamls, are conlidercu 

 in treating of the practice of refloriiig aiable lauds to grafs. 

 See Laying Land //ju'/i to Grafs. 



Git ASS, Artilicial, a term lignifving that kind of grafs that 

 is produced by the lowing of the feeds of difterenl forts of 

 plants that have a quick and luxuriant growth on arable Und ; 

 as thofe of the r.-./ or broad clover, fnintfcin, lacecn. tnfoiU 

 tan; rye,graj}, and other fimilar kinds. I'hey are fliewii at 

 Jigs. I, 2, 3, in P/ate Grajfes 2x\6.3X.Jigs. 1, 2, 3, in Piatt 

 Graffes, in Agruuhurc. 



Tliere are hkewife feveral other pl.ints of this h 'ture, that 

 may in all probability be employed with great advantage in 

 the fame intention. And it has been llatcd by a Lte praAi- 

 cal u ritee, th..t " though the chief hinge on which raodem 

 luifbandr^f has been m. de to turn is that of thi iutrcdudticn 

 of thefe torts of graffes, it is extraordinary tliat th<y liavc 

 yet, in bifel few dillri£ts, been nude to coullitute a part of 



the 



