454 Formation of Permanent Pastures. [now, 



clover sown in 1900 there is but one plant to-day. Why is 

 this ? The cause of the failure appears to be due to the 

 omission of rye-grass. In the absence of this strong-growing 

 grass the surface was not properly covered during the first 

 season, the soil cracked in the sun, and many of the young 

 plants were killed. Ever since 1902 I have watched this plot, 

 and that this is the explanation of the failure I have no doubt. 

 Once cracks establish themselves in new pastures the plants 

 along the margins die off, the cracks re-appear and tend to 

 grow worse in each succeeding period of dry weather. I have 

 come to the conclusion that on strong bare soil, in a hot dry 

 climate, the protection afforded by rye-grass far outweighs its 

 disadvantages, and for this reason it should not be omitted 

 from the seeds-mixture. 



Mixture V. illustrates the kind of failure that must be 

 expected when the farmer forgets that a pasture must be 

 young before it becomes old. Mixture I., on the other hand, 

 appears to me to illustrate a failure due to just the opposite 

 reason ; this is the sort of mixture that would give first-rate 

 results if a pasture always remained young, but though very 

 often employed for the purpose, it is most unsuitable for any 

 pasture which is intended to grow old. Up to the present 

 time, indeed, there is not much cause for complaint with 

 Mixture I. at Abbotsley. In spite of its cheapness, it has 

 produced the second best pasture in the field ; stock like it, 

 (they invariably graze the rye-grass before the plots chiefly 

 composed of cock's-foot and meadow fescue) ; and the area of 

 bare soil is small as compared, for example, with No. V. In 

 1902 and 1903 the surface was well covered by white clover, 

 but this plant has now become thin and weak, and it is clear 

 that, in the present compact and somewhat poor condition of 

 the surface soil, white clover finds rye-grass a grasping and 

 undesirable companion. If rye-grass had permitted the clover 

 to live on, there would have been little reason to quarrel with 

 Mixture I. to-day, but it has not done so. In this second stage 

 of the pasture's history rye-grass assumes its least attractive 

 form, and I will so far side with the opponents of rye-grass as 

 to admit that, during this period, I would rather have 10 of 

 20 per cent, than 60 to 80 per cent, in a pasture. 



