117 



Breaking up Old Grass Land 



Some pastures are so unproductive and foul with weeds, that 

 in order to secure better crops the only satisfactory course is to 

 break them up, grow turnips or other roots for a year or two, 

 and then sow good permanent grasses and clovers. This is 

 always a serious proceeding ; but if, in addition to breaking 

 up the land, there be also the willingness to incur the cost 

 of paring and burning, I believe the operation may often be 

 worth undertaking, provided the soil is suitable. 



A poor mountain pasture, however practicable it may be 

 to ameliorate its condition in other ways, must on no account 

 be destroyed. Paring and burning will almost certainly fail 

 to increase its productiveness, and it is well-nigh impossible to 

 form a sod on such land by artificial means. Nor will burning 

 answer with any light sandy soil. Unless clay is a principal 

 constituent, burning is to be avoided, for it will only do harm. 

 As a rule, peats and thin clays resting on chalk are benefited 

 by the process. The colour of the soil as a rule indicates 

 whether or not burning will be advantageous. A bronzy 

 black soil is fair evidence of the presence of protoxide of iron. 

 Where this chemical compound exists in quantity burning 

 will generally improve the soil, for the protoxide is injurious 

 to vegetation ; by the action of fire it becomes a peroxide, 

 which is beneficial to plant life. 



An old and easy mode of discovering whether land will 

 benefit by burning is to place sods in a large iron pot or 

 kettle, closely covered, and place over a gentle fire. The 



