G R A S S. 



may be requilite in mannging tlioin, and alfo iliat adequate 

 proportions of good manures may be raifed ; as, where this 

 is not the cafe, it is impoilible that farms can be well ma- 

 naged. And on all forts of grais-lands, it is of much con- 

 fequence to keep them as clear and free as pofliblc from the 

 growth of all forts of coarfe plants, thofe of tli" aquatic kind 

 beingremoved by luitabledrainnge, and the application of dif- 

 ferent fiibllanccs of the abforbent defcription to the iur- 

 face of the land. They fliould likcwife be earefullv era- 

 dicated from the hedge-rows of grafs-fields annually, and 

 by that means be prevented from fpreading themfelves 

 over the ground by their feeds. Bv this practice, the 

 hedge-plants would alfo be greatly benefited. Thefc forts 

 of lands (liould alfo be kept as clear as the nature of their 

 apphcation will admit, of all kinds of obllacles that impede 

 the production of perfeft fward. fuch as the growth of mofs 

 on their lurfaces, and the continuance of cattle dung-hills, 

 ant and mole hills, as well as thofe of flicks. Hones, and 

 other fimilar fubtlances. The proper metliods of removing 

 thefe are noticed under their jiarticular heads, and in 

 fpe rking of meadow-lands, and pallures. 



According to the Agricultural Survey of the County of 

 Hertford, in harrowing, with a view to deilroy mofs, no 

 benefit has been found to be produced, though the moffy 

 miterial has been well torn up. It is advifed that manure 

 fhjuld be laid on at the fame time : but that where aflies are 

 fpread out over the furface without harrowing, the mofs 

 plant is dcllroyed, and the grafs greatly imjiroved. And in 

 other cafes, much advantage has likevvile been experienced 

 from the application of fine iand over the fward, in an even 

 but not too thick a manner. But the dung of animals fiiould 

 never be fuffered to remain any lengtli of time in heaps upon 

 the furface of grafs-hinds, without being beat out fniall, and 

 difperfed over the furface ; as, wherever that is the cafe, tiic 

 fward in the places becomes tender, and the grafs comes up 

 coarfe and in tufts, which arc not eaten by cattle Hock, and 

 ©f courfe much injury fuifained. 



In refpeft to the prevention of the rifing of ant-hills on 

 grafs-lands, they may be in a great meafure, if not wholly, 

 guarded again 11, by having recourfe to frequent heavy 

 roUing ; as in the rolling down of ant-iiills, inllead of cutting 

 them up, in an experiment made by the duke of Grafton, 

 it was found to be attended with complete fuccefs, on a large 

 pafture which had been very much infeiled with ants, and 

 which they had almoll covered with hills. But in fuch cafes 

 the rollings Ihould be performed both in the autumn and 

 fpring fcafons, when the lands are in fuch ftates of moillure 

 as jull to admit the impreffiou of the roller without receiving 

 injury from the feet of the horfes ; as, where Inch opera- 

 tions are executed when the grounds are in a Hate of confi- 

 derable drynefs, the benefits are comparatively fmall. The 

 beneficial elfeds that are produced in this way depend much 

 upon the degree of confolida'ion that is effeded ; as it is 

 only by this means that the infects can be pi-evented from 

 carrying on their operations ; a certain itate of lightnels as 

 well as finen fs in the mould being cdential to the execution 

 of their labours in a perfect; manner. But befides thefe, 

 attempts have been made in other ways to prevent the forma- 

 tion of thefe hills. For as it has been feeu that " the eco- 

 nomy of th,_- ant requires the iituation and foil to be dry, 

 light, and friable, in order to carry on their works, it is 

 probable that, in lands that will admit of the practice, it 

 may be an eafy and convenient method of deifroyino; them, 

 and preventing the bad confequences which their laboiu-s 

 produce on the furface fward, to condurt water over them ; 

 and thus, at the funic time, exterminate the colonics of ants, 



and irrigate tlie ground ; by which two improTetnents may 

 be cfledted at once, — the land being cleared from ant-hills, 

 while its fertility is confiderably increafcd." And the ufe 

 of night-foil, in combination with various forts of earthy 

 matters, has been advifed with the intention of deftroying 

 fuch infetfs ; but this is probably a practice that can only be 

 dejiended upon in flight cafes. See Ant-Zj/'//. 



Ifpon lliif yellow clays, a Hertfordfliirc farmer has found 

 the practice of draining, according to the Eflex mode of 

 carrying off the furfacc-water, ufeful, though this praclicc 

 is totally unufed by his neighbours in the fame parifli. Ex- 

 perience has convinced him, that drcfling a cokl tenacious 

 clay not previouOy drained is an abfurd walle of tiir.c, 

 money, labour, and every thing mod valuable. Having ob- 

 tained a tolerably dry furface, his next object (with meadow- 

 land) is to deepen the itaple of the foil, and this he docs by 

 every kind of compoll carried on it for two or three year* 

 together, which he finds eilabhflies a better fort of graf» 

 than drelTnig once in three years on the furface. 



It is fuggelled that the cudom of feeding the firll year, 

 inilead of mowing, is a jiractice that mull be preferable or 

 not according to the nature of the foil, and the object of 

 converting it into grafs-land. With relpeCt to the fornifr, 

 he has found, that if he was to allow even the treading of 

 flicep the llrll year after the grafs-fccd is fown, he Ihould 

 fill the furfiice with receptacles for water, and (hould have 

 very little, if any, grafs of a coaife quality, notwithllandiiig 

 his drains ; bccaufe the flieep or cattle would prcfs the clay 

 foil fo clofe, that the water could not penetrate into them ; 

 whereas, if he flints up-his field, fuffering the grafs to (land 

 till it (lieds the feeds, he finds the following ieafon that l»e 

 is enabled, by giving oidy a flight drefllng, to cut a good 

 crop of hay from it. And in cafes of old worn out ihiji 

 patclies or niody grafs-lands, the practice of fcarifying or 

 cutting tlie furface luard, in diilerent directions, by imple- 

 ments tor the purpofe, has been lately advifed as very bene- 

 ficial in pnmiotiiig their improwment, cfpecially where tliey 

 arc afterwards manured, and have fuitable grals-feeds fowii 

 over the thin or patchy parts, as in this way the giafs-plants 

 become more ilrong and vigorous. In performing this 

 bufinefs, Mr. Amos has advifed the life of a machine for 

 fcarifying and drelTing grafs-land, whether it is to be mown 

 or depallured with animuls. And he conceives that the bell 

 time of performing this operation, is from the middle of 

 February to the middle of ^\pril. And that, in general, 

 drcfTing the land one v ay is fuilicient ; but, if the (ward be 

 very moffy or adhefive, it fliould, he thinks, be drclTed 

 length and crofs ways, cleaned, and then rolled, the coulters 

 of the implement being occaiionally cleaned from the rubbifh. 

 It is alio fuggelled, that if the fward be thin, it may be 

 thickened very much by laying eight or ten tons of rotten 

 dung upon it, and lowing leven pounds of while clover, 

 four pounds of wild or cow-clover, four pounds of tre- 

 foil, four pounds of rib-grafs, and one peck of bell rye- 

 grafs feeds, per acre, previous to its being dreffcd or buih- 

 harrowed, and then cleaned and rolled. It is fuppofcd that 

 by drefllng land in this way, mofs is torn up, ant and mole- 

 hills levelled and dedroyed, the roots of the grafs cut and 

 horfe-hoed, which caules them to throw out trelh lateral 

 flu)ots or items, the fward thickened, and the furface made 

 fo clean as to put on the appearance of a perpetual fpring. 

 when clofe fed down. And that, by fuch managx-ment, and 

 grazing ns much Hock as will keep the grals in a young fuc- 

 culent llate, and bobbing or mowing all the tufts and weeds 

 three times in the courfe of the fumnicr, the grazier will be 

 enabled to receive every benefit from his land, and likcwife 



6 prevent 



