122 PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY PASTURES 



' 2nd. The practical application of this principle is, that 

 the temporary occupation of the land by a grass ley for two or 

 three years, which takes its turn in the rotation of crops, should 

 be preferred. We thus secure the improvement of the soil 

 obtainable from the cultivation of Leguminosae (clover, lucerne, 

 vetches, &c). But as this class of plant will not succeed on 

 every soil, temporary " leys " with gramineous (grass) herbage 

 ought to give, where leguminous plants do not succeed, 

 analogous, if not equally good, results, and so assist materially 

 in solving the problem of producing cereal, root, and other 

 crops with increasing economy.' 



Upon nearly all soils alternate husbandry may be adopted 

 with immense advantage, and on light sandy soil, where a 

 satisfactory pasture is rarely formed, it is far wiser to sow a 

 temporary than a permanent mixture. The periodical breaking- 

 up of the land at the end of every three or four years, and its 

 treatment as arable for one or two seasons, will render it capable 

 of again yielding valuable crops of grass. 



The heavy crops that can be obtained from artificial 

 grasses during a limited number of years are, no doubt, partly 

 attributable to the judicious selection of grasses and clovers. 

 But other influences are at work. The continual use of 

 manure has put the land into good heart, and cultural opera- 

 tions have allowed the atmosphere to set free the elements 

 which grasses readily assimilate. There are, unfortunately, 

 plenty of instances where improper seeding or starved land 

 renders a profitable permanent pasture impossible. To these 

 preventable causes I am not now alluding, but to soils 

 which, in despite of fair treatment, agglomerate and become 

 impervious to atmospheric influences, and refuse to give up 

 the necessary elements for the continuous free growth of 

 grasses. 



Apart, however, from this question of an unsuitable soil, 

 there are weighty reasons for the adoption of a system of 

 alternate husbandry. Two-thirds of many farms might 



