221 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDERER. 
[ March 12, 1881. 
PERMANENT PASTURES. 
After the fine weather of last autumn, which was so favour¬ 
able for land tillage, it is reasonable to suppose that the soil of 
farms generally is cleaner now than it has been for several yeai ’3 
past, and therefore the present time may be regarded as unusually 
favourable for laying down land to permanent pasture, to do 
which well it is of primary importance that the soi-l is as free 
from noxious weeds as it is possible to make it, that it is well 
drained, and that it is sufficiently fertile to insure a quick strong 
growth of the plants this season. If either of these important 
or rather indispensable factors to success is wanting, better, far 
better, will it be to wait till that want is supplied than to run 
the risk of entire or half failure which is inevitable without it. 
Most farmers sow with a corn crop, and as autumn-sown corn 
bas now had its spring dressing of artificial manure, the grass 
seed should be sown now as soon as the surface of the soil is 
dry enough. Sowing with a corn crop is done in order that some 
return may be got from the land to cover or help to cover the 
expense of laying it down to grass, but the wisdom of this policy 
is certainly questionable on thin poor soil; rather should we 
impart fertility to it specially for the grass, than exhaust it with 
a corn crop, and either leave the young grass poverty-stricken 
and weakly, or apply manure to it after the harvesting of the 
corn. 
Land cleaned quickly after harvest last autumn was at once 
sown with a catch crop of White Mustard, and the weather 
continued mild and favourable to growth so late in the year that 
we got a fair plant, upon which teg sheep were folded. Plough¬ 
ing followed the folding c'osely, and the land is now in stale 
furrow, free from weeds and in perfect readiness for sowing. 
That crop of Mustard was a very speculative one; to sow it at 
all might be thought a rash proceeding, but we live in a southern 
county, aud the result is our justification. We got the land 
clean, and knew that it was poor, an expenditure of 7s. 6d. per 
acre for Mustard seed misfit afford a useful supply of food for 
the tegs, and enab'e us to impart the requisite degree of fertility 
to the soil without the expenditure of a much higher sum per 
acre involved in the use of artificial manure; it did so, and the 
retrospect of that work is certainly not unsatisfactory. 
Land that is now clean but poor may have a dressing of 
artificial manure, and be sown at once, or the grass seed may be 
sown with Mustard upon which lambs would have to be folded, 
and have in addition a liberal diet of crushed corn and meal, or 
Mustard may be sown alone, left till its flowers are fully ex¬ 
panded, then p’oughed in, and the grass seed sown not later than 
the third week in July. This sowing, with favourable weather, 
should give us a strong plant in September, upon which lambs 
should be carefully folded in fine weather only. The folds 
should be of a suitable size to enable them to eat off the grass 
m twenty fours, a fresh fold being made every morning. Let 
the lambs pass over it in this manner once, and then let it 
remain untouched till the following spring. Before that time 
arrives we should have come to a decision as to our treatment of 
the young pasture. Two courses are open to us ; we may either 
app'y a dressing of artificial manure and put young stock upon 
it, or we may avoid the outlay for manure and proceed by careful 
sheep-folding. Where there is a breeding flock it is well to hold 
the young grasses in reserve for it, and to begin folding again in 
spring, paying particular attention to have the size of the folds 
in correct proportion to the number of ewes, small folds wherein 
the grass is eaten sufficiently close in twenty-four hours, so that 
the ewes could be let into a fresh fold every morning, the lambs 
being let run forward for first bite through lamb gates. Trough¬ 
feeding in the folds with chopped hay, Mangolds, crushed Oats 
and bran is recommended as tending to enrich the manure for 
the grass, as well as being good for the animals. The process of 
folding is repeated again and again, in all three times, during 
the year, e.ther with the tegs or the general flock, waiting long 
enough each time for the grass to make a fairly strong growth, 
but taking care to remove the sheep from the new pasture for 
the winter by the middle, or at the latest, the end of October, 
according to the state of the weather. Folding with sheep 
should be done very much in the same way in the following year, 
and then as autumn draws nigh the excellent condition of the 
pasture will afford satisfactory proof of the soundness of our 
treatment. 
Notice particularly that stock are kept off the new pasture in 
the year of sowing and the two following years, and that sheep 
are only put upon it in folds, so that all risk is avoided of 
favourite grasses being eaten too closely, or any of the young 
growth being eaten too soon. That this plan has the merit of 
economy, as well as being highly beneficial for the young 
“ seeds,” there can be no doubt, for by it all outlay for manure 
is avoided, and under good management the sheep should pay 
their way and leave a margin of profit Far better is it to 
proceed in this manner than to follow the more common but 
unsatisfactory plan of turning stock or sheep upon new pasture 
to graze unchecked upon all that can be eaten, or to mow it and 
incur a heavy outlay for artificial manures. During the first 
few years after sowing our aim is to establish turf of the best 
grasses, and this can only be done by careful systematic treat¬ 
ment. We may undoubtedly form a good pasture without the 
help of sheep-folding, but it would be more expensive. The 
popular idea that sheep ai’e hurtful to young grasses is right 
enough if they are turned out upon them, but folded in the way 
we have described no harm can possibly happen. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse and Hand Labour .—We are now close upon the middle of 
March, and much soil will be in a suitable condition for finishing the 
sowing of spring Wheat and Peas, and the sowing of Oats, Barley, and 
spring Tares. The proverbial fickleness of our climate should cause us 
to be watchful and prompt to take advantage of every opportunity for 
seed-sowing. Be it our care also to sow upon a clean seed bed, to impart 
the requisite degree of feitility to the soil, and to sow good seed. Never 
should we forget that soil is a medium for the absorption and conveyance 
of food to plants, do not therefore sow upon land known to be wanting in 
fertility without supplying that want. Artificial manure is cheaper now 
than it has been for some time ; we ought then to sow with the corn 
enough manure to insure a healthy vigorous growth. Avoid dealers’ 
mixtures ; obtain pure manures separately, mix them at the farm, and 
apply them after corn is sown before the last turn is given with the 
harrows. Sow of Barley 3 to 4 bushels per acre, Oats 4 to 6 bushels, Peas 
3 to 4 bushels, Wheat 2 to 3 bushels, and Tares 3 bushels. 
Land that is very foul with Charlock should he sown with White 
Mustard, 20 lbs. per acre; the Charlock then comes with the Mustard and 
is ploughed in with it, both coming into flower together. By repeating 
this process two or three times during the summer most of the Charlock 
seed lying in the soil touched by the plough is induced to germinate. 
We thus rid the land of these pests and enrich it with an ample store of 
fertility for a grain, root, or grass crop. The term used, “ these pests,” is 
undoubtedly correct, for Charlock is a common name for two of our most 
common weeds, Sinapis arvensis (Wild Mustard), and Raphanus Rapba- 
nistrum (Wild Radish). Grass seed and Clover for alternate husbandry 
should be sown with corn now at the rate of about 20 lbs. per acre, or to 
be more explicit, 4 lbs. Red Clover, 4 lbs. Cow Grass, 2 lbs. each of 
Alsike, Trefoil, and White Dutch Clover, and a bushel of Rye Grass. 
A heavy iron roller should be used upon meadows much poached by 
the galloping of colts in autumn or from other causes. Let this be done 
early while the surface is wet enough to yield to pressure, and an extra 
horse used for the work, to avoid a heavy draught and deep hoof prints. 
Corn must also be rolled as the surface becomes dry enough, and bush and 
chain harrows passed over the grass land and seeds reserved for hay. See 
that grazing enclosures are put in order for the season, hedges cleaned, 
fences and gates repaired, stones and branches picked, ditches scoured, the 
mouths of land drains examined. Thistles and Brambles should also be 
carefully rooted up and destroyed. When this is neglected much grass is 
wasted and much wool lost. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
P 
”5 
OS 
1885. 
March. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 1 
30.191 
36.7 
36.2 
N.F. 
43.0 
47.2 
32.6 
73.0 
28.6 
— 
Monday. 2 
30.115 
36 8 
35.7 
E. 
41.7 
47.2 
29.2 
69 2 
22.6 
— 
Tuesday.. 3 
29.718 
41.0 
39.1 
E. 
40 6 
45.6 
34.4 
51.8 
27.7 
0.587 
Wednesday .. 4 
29.445 
43.8 
42.7 
W. 
41.3 
54 7 
39.7 
83.2 
32.3 
— 
Thursday .... 5 
29.581 
42.4 
41.5 
s.w. 
41.8 
53.3 
37 2 
72.2 
31.6 
— 
Friday.6 
29.273 
37.4 
36.0 
N. 
42.1 
51.2 
35 9 
57.1 
34.2 
0.140 
Saturday .... 7 
30.091 
32.8 
32.6 
N. 
40.8 
43 8 
2D.8 
68.8 
23.4 
— 
29.751 
38.8 
37.7 
41.6 
49.0 
34.1 
67.9 
28.6 
0.727 
REMARKS. 
1st.—Very fine throughout. 
2nd.—White frost, dull morning, then fine. 
3rd.—Dull morning ; very wet day and evening. 
4th. —Glorious spring day. 
5th.—Generally line, but slight shower at 5.30 P.M. 
6th.—Dull and colder ; rain In afternoon and evening. 
7th.—White frost and thin ice; fine morning ; dull afternoon ; foggy evening. 
A variable w~ek, but on the whole about the average temperature.—G. J. SYMONS. 
