166 
Management of Grass Land. 
prevails over an extensive area in the Bridgwater Level, and the 
mildness of the western climate, give Somersetshire advantages 
which are unequalled in any other part of Great Britain. 
Next to the alluvial soils the best pastures are to be found on 
the carboniferous or mountain limestone, and especiall}'^ on the 
beds of drift gravel, partly composed of the debris of these 
rocks. In Ireland a considerable portion of the flat country 
is overlaid by these drifts, which grow sweet wholesome pasture 
on which either horses, cattle, or sheep thrive well. It is too 
much the habit in Ireland to plough out the grass at short 
intervals, but where it has been left undisturbed for a suffi- 
cient period, it improves in quantity and quality of produce 
until it reaches a point very little below the first-class alluvial 
land already mentioned. This may be seen to advantage in the 
County Meath, and portions of the adjoining counties. In 
several counties of England, too, very good grass land is found 
on the mountain limestone. The valleys of the Dove and 
Derwent in Derbyshire, and those of the VVharfe and Ribble in 
the West Riding of Yorkshire, may be especially mentioned ; and 
according to the dictum of Hudibras, that " the worth of a thing is 
what it will bring," some of this land might claim to be ranked 
amongst the very first. Probably no higher bid was ever made 
for land for agricultural purposes than one which was mentioned 
to me in November 1871, when walking over a ten-acre field in 
the immediate neighbourhood of the small town of Settle in the 
West Riding. It formed part of a farm of about 100 acres, 
which had recently been offered for sale. My informant was 
cognizant of the fact that a bona fide offer of 3000Z. had been made 
and REFUSED for this field, the vendor being advised that the 
sale of the remainder of the farm would be prejudiced to a 
greater extent than even 3000/. by the loss of these 10 acres. No 
reasonable calculation of produce could justify such a price, but 
its convenient position, and the great advantage of having a 
field where grass of the best quality was always growing when 
the thermometer was above freezing-point, made its estimated 
worth to the owner of an adjoining farm from 11. to 8Z. per acre. 
In many other parts of England first-rate grass land may be 
found in isolated patches, where accumulations of silt brought 
down by successive floods have in the course of ages formed 
alluvial soils of great depth and richness. It may seem a work 
of supererogation to make suggestions for the improvement of 
pastures which already produce great results, but the holders 
of first-class land may learn something by observing the practice 
of those skilful and experienced graziers who find it worth their 
while to give such extreme prices for the occupation of land as 
some of those already (juoted. In order to reimburse themselves 
