172 
Management of Grass Land. 
at the present price of meat. If any one wishes to satisfy himself 
whether what he has done in the way of improvement is in the 
right direction, and whether he has carried it far enough, let 
him watch his cattle when gi'azing. If they take the grass as it 
comes, heartily and contentedly, merely rejecting foiled portions, 
so that they are quickly satisfied and lie down to rest, the 
occupier may be sure that he is on the right tack, and may leave 
well alone ; but if they pick one bit and leave another, take the 
top off one kind of plant and nibble a few leaves off another, he 
may be equally sure that the pasture is unpalatable to the cattle, 
and that without change they will not give a satisfactory account 
of themselves at the end of the season. 
The three worst kinds of pastures are generally supposed to be 
those on liglit sands, on strong clay, and on black peaty soils. 
The light sands I give up to the plough unless in parks or 
ornamental grounds, where it is important to preserve the turf; 
ammoniacal dressings will produce a sudden appearance of 
improvement on light sandy land ; but the effect is not lasting, 
and the dry benty grasses soon re-assume their sway. A mixed 
top-dressing will, for a time, increase the clovers, but a heavy 
dressing of compost, containing road-scrapings, or any other 
tolerably strong soil, is the most permanently useful. Improving 
pasture on really light sand is, however, one of the most thankless 
and ceaseless of agricultural operations, and ought to be the next 
task for Sisyphus, if ever his rolling stone should wear out. 
The strong clays are much more promising. Most clay con- 
tains an abundant supply of the minerals which make a soil 
fertile, but they are in a crude state, and require air to make 
them fit for plant-food. The cracks caused by drought and 
worm-holes partially effect this, but the mineral supply from 
clay land that has been long in pasture is not sufficient to sup- 
port heavy crops, and it should be a fundamental maxim with all 
clay-land farmers that their grass should never remain long with- 
out a dressing of farmyard manure. Even the poorest, worst- 
made manaie, which is little better than straw, is of great value, 
as it furnishes the requisite minerals, and, though deficient in 
ammonia, that can be supplied in soot, nitrate of sod^, guano, 
(Sec. The grass grown on clay is wholesome and nutritive, unless ' 
the drainage is defective, or the land has been robbed ; and, with 
a little extra tillage, clay pastures may be made to get moderate- 
sized beasts fit for market, especially if helped with cake or corn 
in the latter end of summer. All tillage should be applied to 
strong-land pastures early in winter. Many weeks are required 
to wash in the various mineral salts, and, from the retentive cha- 
racter of the soil, there is no fear of their washing out again. 
All operations on clay land require more time than on lighter 
