Report on Laying doion Land to Permanent Pasture. 485 
2. Wryde House, Thoeney, Peteeborough. 
I The occupation to which the following remarks apply contains 420 acres of 
■arable, pasture, and marsh land, the property of noblemen, let from year to year, 
without tenant-right. The arable is a rich dark loam or black vegetable soil, 
the subsoil being clay, in manj' places very near the surface, or even on top, 
with veins of silt (an alluvial deposit), and gravel. Being in the level of the 
fens, the average rainfall is, I believe, 24 inches. 
I began laying down land to permanent grass in 1865-6. At that time the 
proportions were, arable land, 200 acres ; marsh, 48, and peimanent pasture, 
172 acres ; since then the pasture has been increased by lOj acres, and 49 or 50 
.acres have been renovated and improved. The change was caused by the high 
price of meat, and the probability of grazing being made to pay a larger per- 
■centage on the capital invested, besides affording scope for employing more 
capital on the occupation. In laj-ing down for permanent pasture the strongest 
clay-land should bo chosen. I was guided in a great measure by the position 
of the fields with a view to the improvement of the farm. The seeds have been 
sown after wheat, the land ploughed in the winter, rolled, and made fine ; the 
seeds sown late in the spring without a crop (at the suggestion of the agent) 
have had indifferent success. I would advise fallowing, and sowing the seeds 
after a fallow crop consumed on the land by sheejj, lightly cultivated, not 
ploughed, made very fine and solid, with about half a seeding of barley, or a 
small quantity of cole or rape to shelter the young and tender plants from 
the sun and weather. 
For grazing I am not in favour of drainage ; I feel confident that much land 
in this district has considerably deteriorated in value by too much drainage. I 
have had the best plant of seeds when sown in May, with a green crop, the light 
and heavy seeds being sown separately. My only experience of inoculation has 
been in filhng up and levelling about 4000 yards of old ditches and renovating 
10 acres of inferior pasture, in which cases it was most successful, the land 
having been well covered in two seasons. I would advise depasturing with 
sheep the first year ; the luxuriant growth of young grasses will answer well 
for ewes and lambs. Mow the second year ; let the grass stand rather longer 
than usual, that some of the seeds may ripen and shake. I have foimd, as 
a rule, that newly laid-down lands keep but few stock after the first year — 
for at least the next five. 
The altered mode of farming pays better than the former practice ; more 
capital can be employed. Although I am not prepared with a tabular state- 
ment, I find, on referring to my Stock-book, that as the result of laying down 
more land to grass — more artificial grasses, improved methods of grazing, the 
extensive use of artificial food, &c. — double the quantity of sheep are kept, 
and about 10 per cent, more cattle, other things being equal, and the stock of 
the year 1865, before the cattle -plague, being compared with 1874. The 
number of stock kept on newly laid-down land is rather diminished than not, 
during the time that the grass is acquiring maturity, after the first year for 
the next six, at least. 
j The landlord supplied the seeds for the land laid down to permanent pasture. 
I On 40 out of 50 acres of worthless grass, which had to be renovated and im- 
proved, he paid the cost of cultivating by steam, and allowed a half-year's rent 
and seeds ; the tenant doing the acts of husbandry necessary for the proper 
preparation of the seed-bed. Strong clay-lands answer best for grazing. On 
light peaty soils the grass is comparatively worthless, whereas light lands, with 
plenty of rich vegetable soil, are most easily cultivated. 
In this district more artificial grasses have been cultivated than fonnerly : 
it is not usual to let them remain more than one year, the five-course system 
being most generally adopted. With the aid of steam-cultivation occasionally, 
three horses have been dispensed with on the holding referred to. Imijroved 
