464 Rejiort on Laying doion Land to Permanent Pasture. 
hoe 1 foot apart each way (a couple of corn-drills being left between), put a 
turf into each as they went, stamped it in with their foot, and so on until 
their swills were empty and they returned for more. Thus the whole field 
was inoculated with turves 4 inches square, at a foot apart, so that 1 acre of 
land, if entirely paved, or 2 acres, if half only of the turf were taken up (as in 
my case), served 9 acres of land to be laid down. The thickness of the 
turves, I may state, would vary from 2 5- to 3 inches, according to the growth 
of the roots, the object being to remove the whole of the latter. I then sowed 
a light covering of white clover seeds, rolled the whole, and the operation was 
linislied, at a cost, exclusive of my own horses and drivers, of 11. per acre. 
Nothing further was now required except constant herding to prevent the 
rooks disturbing the turves when in search of grub. For lack of this on one 
occasion, through the absence of my woman-herd at a two hours' churph 
service, the rooks turned over nine-tenths of the turves on ] 0 acres of ground, 
and the whole had to be replaced, and rolled again ; but otherwise no harm 
was done. The hoeing is simply to prevent the tmwes from standing above 
the rest of the surface. In course of time they are trodden in, but unless 
their bed be slightly scooped out they remain visible for several years. 
The fields I selected for the supply of turf in each of the three cases quoted 
were very old pasture, and, the I'oots being thickly matted, they were well 
fitted for the purpose in view. The high ridges and deep furrows are evidence 
that they have been ploughed at some time, but this can scarcely have been 
within the last 200 years. The elfacement of the gutters or w-rinkles made by 
the sock of the plough I simply left to nature and to the treading by the hoofs 
of stock. The roots make rapid growth at the sides of the ruts, and, so far 
from the herbage being diminished, I believe more food is obtained after than 
before the operation ; the grass grows at the sides as well as upon the top of 
the intervening strips, and, unless the ground be eaten very bare, the abstrac- 
tion of the alternate rows is scarcely visible even where taken only two or 
three years ago. In the first year I tried the plan, May and June were excep- 
tionally dry months, and corn and grass-turves alike were as brown as the 
adjoining turnpike. The neighbouring farmers, as they rode to Kelso market, 
ridiculed the experiment; but nevertheless, in the following summer, very 
few bare spots remained, and meanwhile a good crop of wheat was reaped, and 
the autumn growth of grass afforded a fair bite for sheep. 
The 18-acre field mentioned, being close to one of my homesteads, was laid 
down purposely for cow-pasture ; the tenant, on renewal of his lease, willingly 
accepted it as joermanent grass, and took a crop of hay from it the first year 
after inoculation. In conclusion, where I could have access to really good old 
sward suited to the purpose, I would never lay down land to grass in any 
other method than the one described. 
K. Hodgson Huntley. 
15. Wheelbirks-on-Tyne, Northumberland. " 
This farm of 133 acres I purcliased in I8G4, and in 18G6 I took it into my 
own occupation. About one-half is strong clay-land, wdiile one-fourth is moss, 
and the remainder gravel. Our rainfall fluctuates vastly, the average from 
1856 to 1873 having been 29"21 inches per annum. In 1871, however, a 
neighbour's gauge collected 33 inches, while in 1872 the enormous quantity of 
52 inches was registered.* 
* It may licro be noted that this quantity of 52 inches (though little more 
than a third of the rainfall reported in 1873 from certain of the lake and moun- 
tainous districts of Cuinbinlnnd) represents l,17G,lj71 imperial gallons, of 5251 
tons 13 cwts. 20 lbs. to each English acre. — T. Bowste.\d. 
