282 
The Agriculture of Staffordshire. 
best pastures are reserved for feeding, because one acre of good 
grass Avill make more cheese than two acres that are inferior. 
But the worst grass-land has been greatly improved by a variety 
of dressings, and especially by wintering the sheep on it. 
One old turf-field of cold wet clay-land, producing coarse grass, 
without clovers and bottom herbage, was drained five years 
ago, and by night-feeding in winter, and dressings of 2 cwts. of 
guano and 12 tons of dung in alternate years, it has been entirely 
changed. The herbage has become thickset and sweet, yielding 
a heavy swath even when its length is not great. 
The use of salt, in improving sour grass, may be mentioned. 
A hill-side, where the cattle did not lie, became impoverished, 
and the grass got fogged, that is, rough and sour, so that it was 
not relished by the stock ; and in winter the herbage was de- 
stroyed by the rotting of the uneaten grass. Under these cir- 
cumstances half a ton of salt per acre was applied in February, 
and, after the apparent total destruction of the turf, a good whole- 
some herbage sprung up in about three months ; of this the sheep 
and cattle so approved that they penned themselves upon it, and 
the land has pastured well ever since. 
Mr. Archer finds that the best way of laying down a pasture 
is to fallow the land in spring, lime it, and sow in June, without 
a crop. The gorse-field of 16^ acres was so treated, and is now 
a fair pasture. It was formerly rented by the gentlemen of the 
hunt at 40s. an acre, and was a splendid gorse-covert 6 feet to 
9 feet high. The gorse was first burnt as it stood ; eight horses 
on a large plough, constructed for the purpose, turned up the soil, 
with the aid of men following to grub up the stoutest roots. 
After a summer fallow, the field was cultivated for a year or two. 
The first autumn permanent grass-seeds are eaten off by cows, if 
the season is dry, but in wet autumns this clay soil would be too 
tender to bear the lightest hoof, and must lie by till spring. 
The following summer the new turf is pastured by milking- 
cows, and they are kept out in wet weather. Sheep are carefully 
excluded for the first three years, on account of their eating out 
the best herbage. Dung is always applied the first winter, if the 
weather allows of cartage ; if not, 2 cwts. of guano are substi- 
tuted, followed up by dung in the following autumn. 
The clay pastures are a month later than those on the marls. 
The work of the farm is done by eight horses and a pony, and 
by seven labourers, besides four lads living in the house, three 
women who help in cutting chaff and threshing, besides field 
work, and a few extra hands in harvest. The occupier and his 
son, however, belong to the effective staff all the year round.* 
* This report contains no detailed account of tlie process of cheese-making-, 
because the sulijcct, which requires an essay in itself, has ah\ady been well treated 
