150 Jiecent 'Experiences in laying down Land to Grass. 
climate and soil ; the development itself is pretty uniform in its 
mode of procedure. First the annual weeds have their day, and 
die out ; then the couch-grass spreads, and other inferior grasses 
luxuriate ; finally the good gi'asses, native to the district, with 
their delicate and far-reaching roots, appropriate the soil and 
oust all competitors. Suitable manuring shortens the interval; 
but, however curtailed, the period of incubation is too long, and 
land should only be allowed to " tumble down " to grass when 
it is tenantless, when no money is forthcoming to farm it or to 
lay it down properly, or, in fact, when nothing else can be done 
with it. 
The agricultural popiilatiou is slow to move. When the 
fields that have been ploughed, hoed, and subjected to the other 
familiar operations of husbandry are transformed to grass land, 
the labourer silently accepts the diminished demand for his 
services. If he is a middle-aged man, there is nothing else that 
he can do. He is too old to learn another trade ; he remains 
in his own village, and gets on as best he can. Farmers usually 
employ men they know, in preference to strangers wandering 
about in search of work, so he has a better chance at home. The 
young men go out into the world, as they always have done 
more or less, but probably now in increased numbers. The 
danger is, that the best of them are most likely to go to aug- 
ment the population of the great towns, and it is not there that 
the bone and muscle we require are bred. 
Individual cases do not make clear whether there are fewer 
labourers consequent on the conversion of arable to pasture. 
There must be less money paid for labour, so there must be 
fewer recipients, or a smaller sum per head earned. The next 
census returns will throw light on the subject. 
Mr. Martin J. Sutton, in his book " Permanent and 
Temporary Pastures," strongly advocates a two, three, or four 
years' ley, to meet the depression in corn-growing, especially 
where permanent pastures are not likelj- to be successful. He 
says : — 
"The admirable system, pursued in Lancashire and in Scotland, of annu- 
ally laying away in artificial grasses a pro])ortion of each farm for a period 
of three or four years, is so successful that it is surprising the practice has not 
been adopted all over the country." 
It does seem surprising, but there are reasons .against the 
adoption of the system in some parts of the country. Mr. Jajuea 
Jloward says the rainfall is not sufficient in his part of Bedford- 
sliire, especially in spring and summer. Sir John Thorold 
considers the ex]icnse of cleaning the land on strong clay 
would be groat. Mr. ]{. A. Warren fears that Avhcn broken up 
again it must be very foul, and perliaps full of wireworm. 
