Report on Laying down land to Permanent Pasture. 509 
country with any special article of food, when the production of 
another kind costs him less in labour, time, and money, and is 
withal more remunerative to him. 
It appears evident that more meat can be produced at a 
cheaper rate on pasture land than on arable, and that invest- 
ment in stock is more safe than in the cultivation of corn. 
Almost without exception do the reports favour this conclusion. 
The increase of stock has been great in most instances, whilst 
the expense attending the keeping of cattle and sheep is much 
less than that of the cultivation of corn crops. The labour bill 
is considerably diminished by converting the land into pasture — 
no small advantage in the present age of strikes. One of our 
correspondents saves 200/. per annum in this way, although he 
apprehends his gross returns are now somewhat less than 
formerly. His profit on capital, we presume, is largely increased, 
and this is the chief object with the farmer as with everyone 
else. 
Although the series of questions put to our correspondents 
contained a particular request for " a tabulated comparison of 
the two systems (arable and pasture farming), including the 
saving in manual labour and in horse-keep," in no single 
instance has there been a full and satisfactory reply on these 
points. Sufficient, however, may be gleaned from a perusal of 
the foregoing communication*; to prove the decided advantages 
in these respects of pasture over arable land. The evidence all 
tends to prove that a greater number of live-stock can be kept 
on pasture than on arable land, that the profits are more direct 
from grazing cattle and sheep than from growing corn, while 
the expenses are much less.* 
With these brief remarks I leave the further consideration of 
the subject to those readers of this Journal interested in a new 
and important agricultural movement. It is not necessary for 
me to analyse more minutely the mass of correspondence re- 
ceived by Mr. Bowstead and myself in answer to our inquiries ; 
nor is it my duty to give more definite expression to my own 
personal opinion on the laying down of land to permanent 
pasture. Practical men will be able to digest the preceding 
reports in their own fashion, and to utilise the information they 
contain in the way that will best suit their purpose. 
* On this point see also Mr. Bowen Jones's ' Eeport on the Somersetshire 
Farm-Prize Competition,' inp-u, p. 595. 
