480 Report on Laying down Land to Permanent Pasture^ 
32. Lambton Castle, Dueham. 
I manage, on behalf of the owner, the Earl of Durham, 1784 acres of land^ 
The soil varies ; it is chiefly loam, with portions of light land and occasionally- 
heavy clay. The rainfall averages about 25 inches. Since the year 1860 I 
have laid down about 80 acres to permanent grass. This I was induced to do for 
several reasons, viz., on account of the increased price of stock, the dearness 
and scarcity of labour, and the need of more grass and hay for the colliery horses. 
Heavy land being most costly to work has generally been selected for con- 
verting into permanent pasture. My preparation for the seeds has been to 
take a crop of oats out of lea, then fallow, well draining, cleaning, and 
deeply cultivating the land; also liming and manuring. I consider it of 
equal importance to have land thoroughly drained for grazing as for arable 
purposes ; say 4 feet deep, and in strong land on clay subsoil 6 to 8 yards- 
apart. The light and heavy seeds, composed as follows, have generally been 
sown together in the month of April : — 
J bush. Perennial Eye-grass. 
13 lbs. White Clover. 
10 „ TrefoU. 
4 „ Alsike. 
1 lb. Cocksfoot. 
1 „ Sweet Vernal. 
1 „ Meadow Foxtail. 
1 „ Hard Fescue. 
1 „ Smooth - stalked MeadoT- 
6 „ Cowgrass. 
3 „ Eed Clover. 
1 lb. Crested Dogstail. 
The seeds have always been sown without a crop, and been depastured 
during the first two or thtee seasons with sheep and young cattle, and top- 
dressed with artificial manures. 
With reference to the rotation of crops on the arable part of the farm, I " 
have somewhat altered it by allowing the land to remain in grass three years 
instead of two ; and with a view to this I have added cocksfoot, Timothy, 
foxtail, and trefoil, to our former mixture of seeds. By being careful to have 
land clean and in good condition before sowing the grass-seeds it will not be 
found to have become foul when next broken upi. 
The old permanent grass on this farm has been improved by the applica- 
tion of manures, and by the consumption on the land of roots and artificial 
food. We mow portions of the grass land every year for the colliery horses, 
and depasture the remainder with cattle and sheep. 
W. Steward, Farm Ma?iager. 
33. Ckoxden Abbet, Uttoxeteb, Staffokdshiee. 
The extent of my present occupation is about G30 acres; but while I 
have been for twenty years familiar with the management of^the whole, 
one-half was, until within the last two years, in my late father's occupation. 
Twenty or more years ago the process of seeding down permanently was com- 
menced, and has been continued (field by field) up to the present time, when I. 
may say about 108 acres have been laid down. I have selected for grazing pur-- 
poses such fields as, with our somewhat damp climate (our rainfall is about 35 
inches), were unsuited, except in special seasons, for the growth of wheat or 
barley of fine quality, or for root-crops. On the lands laid down the grass- 
seeds were sown on autumn sown wheat or spring corn, after a dead fallow, or 
a highly-manured and well-hoed green crop carted oif the ground. This year I 
am laying down two fields — one without a grain-crop, but with 3 lbs. of va\ie 
per acre, to be consumed on the land by cake-eating sheep ; the other field was 
seeded in April, on autumn wheat, after green crop and fallow, the wheat being 
