182 
On Breaking iq> Grass Lands. 
the improvement that would follow the fresh supply of manure, 
arising from the consumption of the green and other crops of the 
new arable land. Should such be the result, that proportion 
which should be broken up would not only be a clear gain to the 
country, but the increase on the remaining three-fourths would 
go towards the expense of cultivation, which we have altogether 
omitted from consideration in our calculations, and our cheese- 
making population need not be disturbed ; but the farmer would 
be compelled to learn a lesson, which he has hitherto been slow 
to comprehend and to practise. 
The arguments for continuing cheese-making, or rather, for in- 
creasing it if we could, are many; but that of affording labour to 
farmers and labourers fitted for pursuing it from habit and feel- 
ings, as well as of ensuring a supply in any circumstances, and of 
preventing it from becoming enormously dear, appear to be all 
that will be necessary for us here to notice. It would be clearly 
impolitic therefore to break up land in a headlong, careless man- 
ner, to such extent as suddenly to contract the means of pro- 
ducing cheese for our own market, and at the same time to glut 
the market with corn and mutton. Such must not be the aim of 
any one until improved means shall be introduced to enable us, 
from a reduced quantity of pasture land, to produce as much 
cheese as is now done, or to enable us to produce as much cheese 
or a greater aljundance from arable land. We probably need 
not despair of this eventually, but it will be advisable to deliberate 
before all the second-rate pasture land be broken up. 
Having said this much, it will be but fair to state that, in the 
dairy district of some parts of the country, it is very desirable that 
some of the land now occupied for dairy purposes should be con- 
verted into arable, which might be done with advantage to all 
parties. 
I know many fanners who have not a single acre of arable land, 
and of course no straw for litter, no turnips or beet to increase 
their milk, no means of Increasing their dung-heap, the liquid 
manure escaping for want of straw to absorb it, and but little 
employment for labourers. Lands in this position must, with 
even tolerably good management, retrograde slowly ; and, with 
bad management, speedily become impoverished. To improve 
this land, manure or compost must be made from some source or 
other, and I know of no better means of producing manure for 
its renovaticm than by breaking uj) a portion of the sward and 
planting corn and green crops in proper course, with which to 
litter and feed the stock of cattle ; taking care to consume about 
lialf the turnip croj) with sheep on the land, and all the better if 
with a little oil-cake and corn. 
The following estimate refers lo a daily farm with which I am 
