460 Report on Laying down Land to Permanent Pasture. 
not desirable at this early stage. In the generality of cases there is a visible 
diminution in the produce after the second or third year, and it is at this 
critical time that a good dressing of well-made dung will tell its tale. 
With regard to the grazing derived from our arable land, we have in this 
locality found decided advantage from allowing the seeds to remain down two 
or even three years instead of one. Also uijon light land the plan of top- 
dressing the clover with artificials has been found to increase the crop both of 
hay and aftermath to such an extent as to well repay the outlay. Formerly^ 
on our light-land farms, a four- or five-course system was followed, but now we 
frequently take two white straw crops in succession. Probably the most 
common rotation on sandy soils is as follows : — ■ 
1. Turnips, grown with a light dressing of dung and artificials. 
2. Barley and seeds. 
3. Seeds, mown or fed. 
4. Seeds, fed. 
5. Potatoes, heavily manured. 
6. Wheat or barley. 
7. Oats, with artificial manures. 
If the seeds are kept down only one year the above simply becomes a six-course- 
shift. Undoubtedly this extended rotation has a tendency to make our land- 
a little more foul ; but upon strong land we have adopted a plan of making a 
bastard fallow, by breaking up the seeds in July, for wheat. This answers^ 
very well, and, with ordinary weather and proper attention, ensures clean- 
liness. 
The improvement of our already existing old grass land has long been con- 
sidered of the highest importance in this locality. The first step is drainage, 
if the presence of water-grasses indicates stagnant water; not otherwise, for I 
do not believe that grass land needs to be so imiformly dry as arable ground. 
Secondly, we adopt a dressing with artificial manures, a very favourite mixtiu'e 
being 3 cwts. bone phosphate, 1 cwt. kainit, J cwt. of nitrate of soda, or a- 
compound of the last-named with sulphate of ammonia. This, costing from 
30s. to 33s. per acre, has been applied towards the end of March, and continued 
for several years with marvellous efiect ; for, in my opinion, where grass 
land has become thoroughly impoverished, the top-dressings must be repeated 
at least five or six years in succession before any permanent condition can be 
looked for. Thirdly, we enrich our grass land by consuming upon it, at all 
convenient seasons, cake and corn, pulped roots and chaff. Need I say 
that each and all of these modes of treatment have had a most marked effect? 
I can point to land which was formerly so wretchedly poor, and wet, and 
starved, that, to use a common expression, it would have "rotted a goose;"' 
where carnation-grass usurped the place of everything, and presented, with 
unsightly rushes, a truly poverty-stricken appearance, but which, through the 
treatment above described, has been converted into excellent breeding-land, 
full of white clover, on which young animals grow and do well, alid where, 
during the height of summer, Irish heifers can even be fattened with tiie aid 
of cake. 
In laying down land to grass, it is the custom in some parts of Yorkshire 
for the landlord to provide seeds and manure, charging 5 per cent, on the out- 
lay, and of course claiming such land as grass ever afterwards. I think a 
better ]ilan is for the tenant to do the work himself, as the land then remains 
as arable in the schedule of his agreement, and he can either plough the 
ground out again or leave it to be taken at a valuation by his successor as 
pasture-land. 
] may observe that on this estate, and throughout the country, the holdings 
are generally from year to year. A tenant-right is attached to Lord Weu- 
lock's agreements, providing a scale of compensation for outlay in draining^ 
