294 



Farming of Cumberland, 



further, than the parties anticipated ; and on a recent renewal of 

 the contract for the annual cleansing of the beck, the smaller pro- 

 prietors, farming their own estates, objected to join, on the ground 

 of others enjoying so much of the benefit. The matter was put 

 to the vote, and the number of spirited tenant occupiers com- 

 pletely outvoted the owners, and continued the bond with its use- 

 ful conditions. 



The county, as compared with most others, enjoys its full pro- 

 portion of meadow land ; but the average quality of the meadow 

 soil (perhaps its management, and certainly the quality of the 

 hay) is below the average. 



Hay. — A large proportion of the smaller farms, such as those 

 of the mountain vales, and along the western bases of the fells, 

 and those of the lower districts of the county, not exclusively 

 wheat-growing farms or on clay soils, are in a great measure de- 

 pendent on their meadow lands for the winter support of their 

 cattle ; and when a wet hay harvest occurs, which is not unfre- 

 quently the case in this county, the crops of meadow hay are so 

 injured by long exposure to the weather, and by the mud and 

 sand left by the overflowing of the streams, that the hay is of 

 little value as fodder, and the cattle suffer accordingly. Many 

 meadows, which are occasionally overflowed, produce hay having 

 a sickly or fishy scent, and this the cattle do not relish or thrive 

 on. The coarser meadows also, which throw up much of the 

 Juncus acutiflorus and J. lampocarjDUS (provincially termed 



closs"), intermixed with other grasses of poor quality, are 

 noted, in homely phrase, as producing " lousy hay," — that is, 

 hay on which cattle deteriorate in condition, consequently the 

 pores of the skin close, and vermin soon establish their countless 

 swarms on the poor starved animals. The remedy for this is 

 draining. The fishy flavour * is not so easy to remove, as it is 

 known to remain long after the floods are embanked out of the 

 meadows in which it has occurred. Meadow hay very readily 

 acquires a disagreeable taint, if placed in contact with offensive 

 animal matter, so that much care and attention should be given 

 to retain its delicate aroma. 



From the backward springs so frequently occurring, and the 

 consequent want of early grass, for the pasturage of cattle when 

 the fodder is consumed, the meadows are often grazed to a later 

 period than they ought to be. Where mountain sheep are kept, 

 it is not unusual to find part of the flock in the meadows till 

 nearly the end of May ; and where sheep do not require such an 

 indulgence, it frequently happens that the milch-cows do ; and 

 instead of the meadows being freed from the period when the 



* This may be partly corrected by the application of salt in storing the hay. 



