1921.] The Condition of Permanent Meado^vs. 215 



ment, may be maintained in a high state of productivity for 

 at least a decade. 



Botanical analyses of the seeds hay are not available for the 

 centres referred to; the writer, however, made rough estimates 

 on the plots at Seale-Hayne and at Saxmiindham in 1917.* 



At Seale-Hayne, Elliot mixtures then 5 and 7 years down 

 were remarkably free from weeds. At Saxmnndham the 

 . degree of weediness of the plots cxpicssed on a scale of marks 

 was as follows: — 



Permanent meadow, unmanured 180 



slagged 120 



Elliot Mixture 25 



All other mixtures (average) ... ... ... 90 



Numerous analyses on leys of various ages have been made 

 in Central Wales. When good seeds mixtures have been used 

 the swards have been free from weeds for several years, but 

 Yorkshire Fog generally begins to be abundant after the fifth 

 year. This grass always tends to become abundant on fields con- 

 tinually cut; thus at Saxmundham it was almost equally 

 abundant on the permanent meadow plots and on the ley plots 

 eight years down, w^hilst on the Cockle Park 'meadow hay 

 plots this grass has increased on even the " artificial " plots, 

 and particularly on the dunged plots during 9 years.! 



Havins: regard both to freedom from weeds and from York- 

 shire Fog and also to the production of maximum l.'ulk, it 

 appears therefore that the four- to five-^'ear ley has much to 

 recommend it as a means of increasing the hay supplies of 

 a farm. Meadow hay has of course a special value, since it is 

 a safe feed, but the hay of a good ley in its third to fifth year, 

 when the Bed and Alsike Clovers will have more or less 

 completely disappeared, is not very different from meadow 

 hay, except that it is likely to be far less weedy ! 



There are many farms in Wales and the West of England 

 where good fields — fields v\ith a high potential grazing value — 

 have been ruined by continual mowing: these fields should be 

 heavily slagged and heavily grazed. An extension of the 

 temporary ley on the more ploughable part of the farms would 

 at once have the effect of (P providing the necessary amount 

 of hay, and (2) what from the Nation's point of view is so 

 much to bo desired, namely, keeping land under cultivation. 



* The estimates were made in coniiecticm with an ini|Mirv cDiiductod for 

 the Food Production Department. Tiianks are due to ^Ir. I'. X. Wale and to 

 ^rr. A. W. Oldershaw f<^r information and assistance. 



t Xorthumherlan<l County Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin Xo. 8. 



