On a Varict// of Italian Ei/e- Grass. 



577 



ground with a luxuriant herbage. The second and third sowings were 

 much thinner in the plant, and much less vigorous in appearance all 

 through the winter. Still the whole field w-as of a luxuriant colour, and 

 the a])pearance of the crop was much remarked by agriculturists in the 

 neighbourhood. In the spring it grew most vigorously, but the excessive 

 wet made it difficult to know what to do with it. However, on the 23rd 

 of March we began to stock it with sheep. The grass was then about 

 18 inches high. The sheep were frequently removed in consequence of 

 the rain, but an account was kept of the numbers and of the days ; and 

 by this account it appears that 2J acres of grass kept fifty-three sheep 

 and forty-eight lambs for fourteen days between the 23rd of March and 

 the 2nd of May. On the 2nd of May we began to mow the remaining 

 3i acres for the horses and bullocks in the yard. The produce kept 

 eight large cart-horses, four feeding bullocks, and one bull, for thirty- 

 five days. The horses were in constant work, and both horses and 

 bullocks were kept exclusively on the grass : they appeared to like ir, 

 and did well. I should state that the bullocks had been previously kept 

 on mangold-wurzel and hay, and the horses on hay, carrots, and corn. 



In May I had the grass from one square rod of ground cut and 

 weighed. The weight was 144 lbs., or lOj tons per acre. We finished 

 mowing on the 6th of June, when the grass was left for seed, which we 

 began to cut on the 2nd of July. The seed was cut as it ripened ; and 

 the weather being fine, it lay in the swarth for one whole day, when the 

 mowers quietly gathered it into small bundles or sheaves, tying it with 

 the grass itself, which was about 3 feet in length. 



As the seed shells very easily, I had provided some coarse cotton sheet- 

 ing, which cost about 4d. a square yard, and had it stitched together in 

 two pieces of about 20 feet square. These were laid down in the field, 

 the sheafs nearest at hand laid on the sheeting, and lightly tapped over 

 with the flail. The process is very simple, and two men and a boy will 

 in this manner readily thresh 3 acres of seed in a day. It is necessary, 

 however, to be very careful both as to the time of cutting and the time 

 of tying up, or otherwise the best of the seed will be lost. 



The five acres yielded 96 bushels of clean seed, and the remaining 

 acre about 19 bushels— total 115 bushels. 



As soon as the seed was threshed it was put into bags and taken to a 

 large loft, where it was spread thinly over the sheets on which it had 

 been threshed. It has a strong disposition to heat, and a man was con- 

 stantly employed in keeping it turned, while in fine weather it was taken 

 out and dried in the sun. 



As soon as the seed had been cut and the ground cleared, the field 

 was manured, part with good rotten dung at the rate of 10 loads per 

 acre, part with liquid manure from the farm-tank, and the remainder 

 with guano at the rate of 4 cwt. per acre; of these the guano seems to 

 be mosteSicient and the solid manure least, but I rather think the liquid 

 manure had been too much diluted. At this moment (Sept. 2) the grass 

 is again running up for a second crop of seed, and may probably be fit to 

 cut by the latter end of this month. 



There were about five loads of straw, apparently of excellent quahty, 

 and not much inferior to hay. 



