1905.] Formation of Permanent Pastures. 



459 



tant. This is the effect produced on the stubborn clay soil by 

 chicory, burnet, and yarrow. These deep-rooting plants, as has 

 been pointed out by Mr. Elliot, open up and aerate the soil, 

 they assist drainage, make the surface more friable, and prevent 

 cracking, and in this way they have doubtless enabled white 

 clover to cover the surface. Once the covering of vegetation is 

 complete, the pasture is safe.* 



The influences at work on the mixed herbage of the pasture 

 are varied, and the man who expects first-rate results must be 

 prepared to adapt his management to varying circumstances, 

 so that rules cannot be given for the formation of first-rate grass 

 land. The experiments referred to in the foregoing pages, how- 

 ever, suggest some principles that may assist the farmer in his 

 task. 



The main point, and one on which I have already insisted, is 

 that pastures must grow old by degrees, that the herbage passes 

 through stages, and that no management will be satisfactory 

 which neglects to take account of the needs of the pasture in 

 any one stage. The young pasture must be furnished with 

 quick-growing vigorous plants, which will ensure an even cover- 

 ing for the first few years. As the tilth imparted by the plough 

 disappears, the second stage begins, and the aim of the farmer 

 must be to shorten this trying period by liberal manurial treat- 

 ment. With the onset of the third stage, and as the grasses 

 begin to develop, careful grazing will be required to ensure a 

 regular growth of the mixed herbage. 



But our immediate concern is with the seeds-mixture. How 

 is it to be compounded ? We aim at producing a permanent 

 pasture with a mixed herbage, but the beginning of the " per- 

 manent " stage of the pasture is five or six years off, and it is 

 needless to sow down a full stock of all the plants we hope the 

 field may contain fifty or even twenty years later, for the soil 

 has not yet acquired the condition that will enable it to support 

 these plants. We must therefore content ourselves with sowing 

 as much seed as will produce the number of permanent plants 



*This year I had occasion to cut some turfs from the Plots I., IV., VII. and VIII., 

 and it was quite remarkable to find how much moister the soil of the last was than 

 that of the others. In lifting the other turfs, particularly those of IV. and VII., 

 great care had to be taken to select turfs free from cracks, and the turfs cut were dry 

 and crumbly, but on VIII. the turf came up smooth and moist, and showed no signs 

 of cracking. Originally, of course, the soils were identical in character. 



