Iteeeni Experiences in laying doivn Land to ^rass. 143 
[For Schedule of Questions, seepage 126.] 
Mr. William Dalby — continued. 
8. I prefer pasturing the new grasses with young cattle, and if 2 lbs. or 
3 lbs. of decorticated cotton-cake each is given to them daily, it will be 
found very beneficial to the young grasses, but as a manure on our soil 
there is nothing to equal bones. 
9. I have not noticed the loss of perennial ryegi-asses. Italian will disap- 
pear in two or three years. 
10. I have not noticed the diminution of the clover plant in particular 
where we have fed off with sheep. Where bones are used as a manure, 
there will always be sufficient clover. 
11. That depends very much upon circumstances; if the land is quite 
clean, and the seeds are put in early in the spring in a good seed bed, and 
are treated properly, it should go down to a good pasture in six or seven 
years. 
12. AVe have one large field, which I understand was allowed to form 
itself into pasture ; it grows very little but coarse indigenous grasses. Four 
years ago I sowed a few bones on about twenty poles by way of experiment, 
and the result was marvellous ; the next year there was nothing to be seen 
but Dutch clover. 
13. There is not an appreciable reduction in the population in this 
district. 
14. No doubt allowing land to remain in grass for three or four years 
improves its condition for arable purposes, and I have no doubt, if corn ever 
is worth growing again, that a great deal of the land that has recently been 
put down to grass will be broken up. 
Mr, C. Randell, Chadbmy, nea/i- Evesham. 
1. Various, part gravelly loam, part heavy clay upon a retentive subsoil. 
2. Yes, all has been drained. 
3. Eainfall 27'9 inches. Climate very good. 
4 and 5. Twenty years since. 1 bushel cocksfoot, i bushel perennial 
ryegrass, 6 lbs. cowgrass, 2 lbs. Dutch. During the last eight years I have 
varied the quantities and mixture, finally adopting the following : 10 lbs. 
cocksfoot, 4 lbs. timothy, 8 lbs. perennial ryegrass, 3 lbs. alsike, 3 lbs. cow- 
grass, 2 lbs. Dutch, Not using any seedsmen's mixtures. 
G. With a crop. 
7. Spring. 
8. In 1869 I laid down a field of 19 acres for an orchard. It had been 
fallowed after vetches eaten oflP by sheep with oil-cake, then sown with 
wheat, and in the following spring with grass seeds. From that time until 
this year it has been regularly folded twice or thrice a year by sheep with 
oil-cake, chaif, and occasionally mangolds also. Only mown twice during 
the whole period to give the pasture time to sweeten. The effect of this 
heavy expenditure of purchased food upon the pasture was apparent ; it was 
luxuriant during the first three years, during the second three years the 
sown grasses gi-adually disappeared. Nevertheless, for the sake of the fruit 
trees the same folding was continued, the difference in amount of pasture 
food being compensated by additional quantities of roots, oil-cake, and chaff". 
The effect was an increased growth of natural grasses and cocksfoot, and 
the result now is, a good orchard, with a satisfactory pastm-e, but not such as 
would alone repay the cost of the treatment it has received ; putting the 
fruit trees out of the question the field would have paid better in the ordi- 
nary course of cropping. During the last seven years I have had several 
fields of clay-land fallowed and laid down upon untenanted farms. The 
