Report on Laying doion Land to Permanent Pasture. 479 
itake of seeds, I may leave it down three or four years. My permanent grass I 
improve by consuming upon it by stock a large quantity of roots and pur- 
chased food, also by applying a mixture of lime, manure, soil, and refuse of 
\\\ kinds. I may mention, however, the good effects caused by paring and 
burning a piece of grass land in July after the hay had been carried. I had 
the ashes equally spread, and the land seeded down in August ; and, strange 
to say, the grass was ready for the scythe the following spring before any 
other green food on the farm. Previous to this experiment not a root of clover 
was to be seen on the piece, but now, although it is some ten j^ears ago, it is 
full of that valuable plant, and I therefore consider this an excellent method of 
renovating rough grass land. 
With regard to meadows, I prefer to mow every year rather than mow and 
liasture alternately, manure being of course applied accordingly. There can 
be no doubt that to enrich grass land paj's as well as improving the arable, 
and some landlords in this district have assisted their tenants in this step by 
supplying them with bone-dust. I am satisfied that grass land may, by a 
ijudicious outlay, be made to carry one-third more stock. 
John Brett. 
31. BURGHLEY HOUSB, StAMFORD. 
I have in hand, including the parks, about 1500 acres of my own land. 
The soil being light, with a sandy subsoil, it is well suited for the growth of 
turnips and barley. I have not laid down any portion of my land, but have 
lately given much attention to the old pastures. In one field I began by 
paring and burning part of it ; the rest I ploughed, and tried turnips sown by 
hand, but owing to dry weather and wire-worm I did not get a crop. I 
then fallowed it, and am satisfied that this is a capital plan, as the rooks got 
all the wire-worm. In the following year, 1869, I got a sjilendid crop of 
oats; in 1870 oats again, a good crop ; in 1871 I sowed turnips, with 2j cwt. 
artificial manure, and 6 bushels of bones to the acre : the result was a very 
heavy crop. In May, 1872, I sowed permanent seeds with rape. I consider 
a sprinkling of rape eaten green more favourable to the seeds than a grain- 
crop allowed to ripen. I depastured up to the first or second week in August, 
then allowed the grasses to seed and ripen ; and chain -harrowed at the end 
of September, thus causing a large fall of seeds, which, by the aid of the 
autumn rains, vegetated, and vastly improved the pasture. This field I can 
DOW state has kept four times the quantity of stock it carried previously 
to being broken up. I may add, this field is now (August, 1875) grazing very 
well indeed, having had nothing but cattle allowed on it in the summer. 
I consider sheep do harm to land newly laid down to permanent pasture by 
eating too bare the fine grasses, thus preventing their full growth and chance 
of increase by seeding. I should say that land having a strong subsoil will 
pay better in grass than under the plough but I do not consider that land 
requires to be so dry for grazing as for arable purposes. 
1 have not increased the extent of pasturage on my arable land, nor altered 
my rotation ; but by adopting an improved mixture of grass-seeds I never 
fail in securing a crop, which, if cut for hay, furnishes a much larger bulk of 
winter keep, and a good aftermath for sheep ; or, if grazed, it carries nearly 
double the quantity of stock. The mixture of seeds which I have found so 
successful is this : 4 lbs. red clover, 3 lbs. cow-grass, I2 lb. trefoil, 11 lb. 
white clover, 1^ lb. alsike, 4 qts. Italian rye-grass, and 3 qts. of cocksfoot 
per acre. Much care is required in the selection of seeds, especially Italian 
rye-grass, which, as every farmer knows, closely resembles twitch. Foul 
land, when I have had such, I have found easily cleaned by using the broad- 
share on the stubble as soon as possible after harvest. Exeter 
