6 
The Management of Grass Land. 
cattle to s;o out during the day to clean up the nearest pastures and 
relurn to the yards at night. Nothing occurs in their manage- 
ment difierent from that of the preceding pastures ; the grasses 
are really indigenous productions, formed upon an accumulated 
mass of vegetable mould, and are of themselves sufficiently rich 
without the aid of manures: they require, however, to be kept 
in proper bounds, that every remaining blade be allowed to see 
the sun at least once a year, otherwise an accumulation of rough 
grass takes place, and the herbage becomes degenerated, changed 
in character, and less nutritive in quality. Hence we often hear 
parties remark that certain fields have lost their feeding qualities ; 
this results from the fact that, while the annual produce of the 
soil is chiefly exported in the shape of beef, mutton, &c., and no 
return of manure is made to the soil, the grasses themselves have 
been allowed to be choked with superfluous rubbish and not 
even permitted to adjust themselves according to " Nature's 
course." The importance of assisting Nature, rather than marring 
her works, is forcibly shown in this. 
The second class, or sheep-land, consists of those soils and 
pastures which are generally termed " middle descriptions of 
grass lands," and are found to abound more or less in nearly 
every district in England. They consist chiefly of two classes of 
soils, viz. the dry soils, such as rest upon dry or open subsoils, 
and those resting upon cold or moderate subsoils. 
The dry soils comprise those pastures which are more rapid 
and early in their produce during the spring months, thus proving 
exceedingly valuable to the occupier, it being a great relief to have 
a portion of early pasture-land. 
These pastures are usually cleared at an early period, and in 
some instances even before Christmas, in order that they may prove 
the more valuable in the spring. As the grasses produced by 
these descripticms of soils are of a. fine character, it is thought best 
to allow them to get a good cover previously to placing the whole 
summer stock upcm them. By this process they are less liable to 
be burned or parched up, carry more sheep per acre, make a 
better return, and the lands are more improved, tlian when stocked 
at an early period. 
Young or second-class beasts are added in proportion to the 
character of the herbage, as some soils throw up more bents or 
seed-shoots than others. What is termed the full stock is allowed 
to remain upon these lands until the first class, or ox-land, is 
cleared and ready to receive a portion of them ; after which thin- 
ning, the pasture improves materially, and the remaining stock do 
exceedingly well. From the dry and healthy character of these 
lands they are depastured with sheep during the winter in pre- 
ference to cattle, the latter being entirely removed in October. 
