Rqmt on Laying down Land to Pei-manent Pasture. 499 
majority of these are of a coarse kind, yet many of them afford 
excellent food for stock ; and there is no deficiency of bulk, at 
least, considered as grass, should the soil not be thoroughly 
drained. Of course, there should be no stagnant water either in 
the soil or on its surface. But inasmuch as it is acknowledged 
that a humid climate and a large rainfall ^re the most favourable 
conditions for the growth of grass, it does appear reasonable, 
even if experience did not also confirm the idea, that a some- 
what damp soil is not objectionable for pasture-lands, and that 
the drainage need not be so perfect as where the more delicate 
I cereal crops are grown. And as close and deep drainage is 
such an expensive operation, it is necessary to show a decided 
advantage from the operation before one could well advise in 
any instance the investment of so large an amount of labour and 
capital as it requires, and this does not appear to be satisfactorily 
demonstrated in the evidence given in the preceding pages. 
As it is essential that the land should be thoroughly cleaned 
before it is laid down to permanent pasture, either a bc^re 
summer fallow or a green crop fallow should immediately pre- 
cede the seeding of the land. The preparatory cultivation 
will depend upon the character of the soil and the difficulty of 
making it sufficiently clean for the reception of the seed. In 
most cases, where the land is in a previously good condition, a 
1 crop of turnips well attended to during the summer months is 
all that is required. A bare summer-fallow well worked is the 
course adopted by many. Several witnesses, however, recom- 
mend two turnip-crops as the best preparation ; and in a few 
instances two white crops have been talien before turnips. No 
hard-and-fast line can be drawn. The natural mechanical con- 
! dition of the soil, its disposition to become foul by weeds, and 
I other circumstances, account for the variable methods pursued. 
Two white crops before turnips in some instances may be ad- 
visable to leaven the soil, and to enable it to be more thoroughly 
cleaned, by the harrow and cultivator bringing to the surface the 
' tangled roots of couch and other grass-weeds where they are pre- 
valent. It may be said these should not exist at all ; but the 
difficulty of ridding some land of them is well known. Even a 
fallow of any sort presupposes the necessity of the land being 
clean, as much as its having a suitable mechanical texture. Mr. 
Toppin is enabled to sow down to grass in July, directly after a 
corn-crop in the preceding year, the corn-crop having been grown 
after lea. And after trying different modes of preparing the land 
he finds that this has answered the best (p. 458). Mr. Toppin 
finds such a preparation all-sufficient, and he must consider him- 
self fortunate, as in the majority of cases such treatment would 
be worse than useless. There is no reason, however, to question 
