456 Report on Laying dotcn Land to Permanent Pasture. 
5. HowGiLL Castle, Wkstmobeland. 
I rent, on a nineteen years' lease, a farm of 900 acres, belonging to Sir 
Henry Tufton, Bart. I have no tenant-right. I have both light and heavy 
soil, of fair average quaUty, with generally a pretty strong subsoil. 
In 1857, partly through the increased value of stock and difiBculty in pro- 
curing labour, but chiefly on account of the high situation of my farm, its 
contiguity to the Crossfell range of mountains, and exposure to frequent 
" helm-vrinds," I commenced laying down pasture. At that time the iarm 
was made up thus : — 350 acres arable, 50 acres wood-land and river-banks, and 
500 sheep-walk. 
My experience has been chiefly in the breaking up and relaying old grass- 
land, and I proceeded as follows : — Having ploughed up the turf, I took two 
successive white crops, then turnips, followed by a white crop, with i^ermanent 
seeds. Practice, however, has taught me that in deahng with certain stifi^ 
benty portions of my sheep-walk it would have been better to have dispensed 
with the last white crop, and to have sown the grass and clover-seeds alone: 
In fact I am now, from experience, so partial to this course, that, with the 
consent of my landlord, I am inclined to take two successive white crops on 
all the land I have in cultivation, and sow down without a white crop ; and in 
that case I would manure the second white crop with farmyard-dung, apply 
artificial dressing to the turnips, and then sow down alone, or with two or 
three pounds of rape-seed. I sow at the end of May, light and heavy seeds 
being mixed together. In addition to Italian and perennial rye-grass, I use 
meadow-fescue, foxtail, cocksfoot, rib-grass, and the best varieties of clover. 
I do not approve of mowing young seeds, but would pasture chiefly with 
sheep, turning on in dry weather a few cattle or horses, to prevent the rye- 
grass running to seed. I can now keep iipon my farm double the number of 
cattle and one-third more sheep than formerly : but this is chiefly owing to 
its general improvement, and not to the extra qtiantity of pasture. I wonld 
keep the strong and naturally wet (although drained), high-lying land in grass, 
and retain what is generally known as turnip and barley-soil under cultirar 
tion. My landlord has done a large amount of draining, upon the cost of 
which I pay the usual interest ; but I am persuaded that it is not so indis- 
I)ensable to have grazing and meadow land so uniformly dry as that required 
for arable purposes. 
With regard to arable land becoming foul, the best preventive is to keep it 
manurially rich. 
I have used on some of my high pastures, after draining, nearly 10 tons per 
acre of good lime of my own bumiug : I also improve them by eating turnips 
upon them ; or by running sheep over them at night, which are on turnips 
during the day. I venture to state that the most remunerative of all capiUl 
expended upon land is that which is laid out in improving it " green side up.' 
I have known the keeping powers of land so dealt with nearly trebled. 
James SMitchbii- 
6. Shatton Hall, Cockermouth, CtncBEBLAKD. 
I am the tenant, from year to year, of 320 acres of land. The soil and sub- 
soil are of a most variable character, two or three kinds occasionally occurring 
in the same field. I have no tenant-right beyond the custom prevalent in the 
district, by which, on leaving at Candlemas, I should be paid for seeds and 
wheat. In 1864, mainly through the high price of fat and lean stock, 1 
determined to put down my best land to pasture, and have now treated about 
90 acres in that way. It is undoubtedly very important to have the land 
clean and in high condition. I have sometimes laid down with a crop, and 
