The Management of Grass Land. 
19 
to produce much benefit. Yet there are only a few soils to which 
irrigation may not be advantageously applied. Care should be 
taken to have the wet soils properly under-drained before the 
process of irrigation takes place, and that they be laid perfectly 
dry of the surface water when the business of floating terminates. 
The season for floating is that of winter, and not summer, as 
parties unacquainted with the process have too frequently sup- 
posed. The lands that permit of the greatest return are such as 
lie in low situations, on the borders of brooks, streams, rivers, or 
in sloping directions on the hill sides. The advantages to be 
derived from watering lands must, in a material degree, depend 
on the climate : most grasses vegetate in a temperature of 33 or 
34 degrees. Still, as the most luxuriant pastures in every clime 
are those found upon lands naturally watered, it is best to imitate 
nature in cold as well as in warm countries. Land, when once 
improved by irrigation, is placed in a state of perpetual fertility 
without the aid of manure or any other material expense. In 
fact it becomes so productive as to yield by far the largest bulk of 
hay, besides affordmg an abundance of support to the ewes and 
lambs in the vacant spring months, and a liberal supply of after- 
grass for the cattle in the autumn months. This is, in fact, fur- 
nishing extra food for animals, and converting it into manure to 
be supplied to other lands, thus augmenting in a compound 
degree that great source of fertility — manure. 
So varied are the opinions of scientific men as to the qualities 
of the different waters most applicable to this purpose, that it 
would ill become me to offer an opinion relative to the chemical 
properties most beneficial ; yet from experience I draw the con- 
clusion that those waters which contain the greatest amount of 
food for the grasses must be the best ; hence irrigation by liquid 
manure, or the sewerage of large towns, must be vastly more 
beneficial than waters free from all kind of impurity. This ques- 
tion is worthy of great consideration, by which means crops of 
grass would follow each other throughout the season, and be pro- 
ductive of immense results. 
The expense of irrigation varies according to the situation of 
the land or nature of the work to be performed. Where the catch 
meadow system can be adopted, the expense is moderate, much 
less water is required, and in some situations the plan answers as 
well as flat-flooding. The expense of bed-work, &c., in the for- 
mation of the other system, varies very considerably : in some 
instances the outlay is enormous. Some persons object to irriga- 
tion from an idea that it makes a neighbourhood unhealthy ; but 
as the water is continually kept in motion, the supposition is 
unfounded. It is also stated that though the produce may be 
increased, it becomes in a few years of so coarse a nature that 
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