THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Vol. XII. No. 7. 



OCTOBER, 1905. [NEW SERIES.] 



FORMATION OF PERMANENT PASTURES. 



The Selection of Seeds for Laying down Land to 



Grass. 



The subject of this paper is not one to which the farmer has 

 given much personal attention. He hardly expects to be asked 

 for an opinion on the quality of the different pasture plants, 

 and he leaves to others the task of prescribing the mixture that 

 is to be used for sowing down his land to grass. Of annual 

 crops he has personal knowledge and experience ; he has made 

 his mistakes, and he has learned to avoid them ; but of this per- 

 manent crop he has no experience. He sows his land, and his 

 mistake, be it small or great, must stand ; he does not record his 

 experience, and the son's practice is no better than the father's. 

 In this paper I write from the farmer's standpoint, and in pre- 

 paring it I have tried to obtain the benefit of the farmer's 

 experience, but have failed to find anything worthy of record. 

 On the one hand the advice of the practical man is, " Go to a 

 trustworthy and experienced seedsman, state your wants, and 

 he will supply you " ; on the other, " Mow half a good grass 

 field early, mow the other half late, and you will have the best 

 seeds-mixture that you can sow." Both pieces of advice may 

 be excellent, but they do not indicate any personal acquaintance 

 with pasture plants. 



In most departments of agriculture the practice of our best 

 farmers leaves little to be desired, but we have hitherto shown 

 little knowledge or skill in forming permanent pastures. 

 Instead, therefore, of describing our present methods I shall 



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