244 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
[ March 19, 1885. 
PERMANENT PASTURES. 
Before land is sown with grass seed for permanent pasture it 
must be clean. Not simply because it is so desirable to have nothing 
but the Grasses and Clover of our own selection in the pasture do we 
give such prominence to this dictum, but as a matter of business—a 
question of profit, and loss—it forces itself upon us. To intelligent 
practical farmers it has long been patent that a foul seed bed is not only 
followed by foul pasture, but it leads to an unmistakeable subsequent 
loss. In the elaborate report of the judges of the farm prize compe¬ 
tition last year they say, “ We were shown one field in which a 
poition was not clean when laid, and though this was dressed twice 
with bones, and the rest only once, it was not half so good.” They 
refer here to pasture of five or six years' growth, all of which that 
was sown upon a clean seed bed had a flourishing appearance, was rich 
m colour, and a well-knit sward. 
If after the hot dry weather of last summer and autumn land is 
not clean we fear that nothing we can say will induce anyone to make 
it so. vv ho could let such favourable weather as we then had pass away 
without turning it to full account? Poor land that is foul with Couch 
Grass, Docks, Thistles, Sorrel, Crowfoot, and Plantain should now, as 
soon as the surface is dry enough, have the cultivator put over it 
twice, and then the thick beds of Couch must be forked out. This 
done, again use the cultivator, and follow with harrows and hand¬ 
picking ; then plough, scarify, roll, harrow, and hand-pick till the 
land is as clean as it is possible to make it, and then at once sow it 
with White. Mustard, using 20 lbs. of seed per acre. When the 
Mustaid is in full flower it is at its best for being ploughed in as 
manuie, and no time must be lost in doing so. As soon afterwards as 
a tine tutu can be had let the grass seed be sown, and as the Grass will 
be ready for autumn grazing in ordinary seasons sow Rape seed with 
l 4 lbs. of seed per acre. To sow seeds for permanent pasture m 
June or July is not according to the.usual practice of confining the 
sowing to spring or autumn, avoiding summer sowing for fear of 
diought. We may safely venture to assert that as summer drought is 
the exception and not the rule in this country, it ought not to affect 
oui plans, and it must not be forgotten that foul clay soil cannot often 
be cleared and got. into condition much before midsummer. With a 
line tutu we avoid the common error of covering seed too deeply : 
modeiate harrowing, followed by rolling, leaving the seed near the 
surface, and with the soil pressed firmly about it. 
Pure clean seeds of the best sorts are indispensable, about 40 lbs. 
per acre being the usual quantity. Since the publication of Mr. 
f aunce De Laune s essay “ On Laying down Land to Permanent 
Orass, a radical change has been effected in the mixtures of seed 
merchants who make grass seeds a speciality. Mixtures may now be 
had without Rye Grass, but if its exclusion is not specially ordered 
there will inevitably be a large proportion of it and other inferior 
Grasses in the mixture. “ To the presence of annual Grasses, and to 
tins alone, do I assign the deterioration of the large majority of newly 
formed pastures. The seed mixtures usually supplied for laying 
down land to permanent pasture consist of so large a proportion of 
annual Grasses that the speedy deterioration of the pastures is in¬ 
evitable, says Mr. Faunce De Laune. No doubt it was owing very 
much to the general ignorance of farmers about Grasses which led to 
so many in: enor sorts being used. The vigorous appearance of the 
a J ori # y of seeds m the first season is not by any means to be taken 
as an indication of superiority ; rather the reverse. It is the Rye and 
so-called annual Grasses which are usually so conspicuous, but it must 
not be forgotten that under favourable conditions Cocksfoot makes a 
growth of remarkable vigour, and it is certainly one of our very best 
Grasses for permanent pasture. 
qnl ? he p A a f% fiv< r f° rts °f. Gras s which may be regarded as indispen- 
St™ , f ° $ vr J ] 1S glomerata )> Timothy or Meadow Catstail 
iwfw/ + tenS ^’ ? Iead ° w Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), Meadow 
f e + s J uca Pratensis), and Tall Fescue (Festuca elatior). These 
“ e the ~ eal I. alue of a pasture, and with some of the more 
dwarf-growing finer Grasses prove useful ; of such the best are Crested 
Dogstail (Cynosurus cnstatus), Rough Meadow Grass (Poa trivialis), 
Sheep s Fescue (Festuca ovina), and Hard Fescue (Festuca durius- 
cula). Another Grass included in most mixtures, and which finds 
favour because it makes both an early and late growth, is Creeping 
Piorin or Marsh Bent Grass (Agrostis stolonifera). We avoid using 
it, because the fungus of ergot is so frequently found among its 
seed and the presence, often unobserved, in pastures of ergoted 
Grasses, is a fruitful source of mischief to animals, many of the 
so-called mysterious cases of abortion being clearly traceable to it. 
We append some of Mr. Faunce De Laune’s selections with a 
substitute for Fiorin, which we have reason to believe he does not re¬ 
commend now. Mixture of seeds for good or medium soils—Meadow 
Foxtail, 10 lbs. ; Cocksfoot, 7 lbs. ; Catstail, 8 lbs. ; Meadow Fescue, 
G lbs. ; Tall Fescue, 3 lbs. ; Crested Dogstail, 2 lbs. ; Rough Meadow 
Grass, 14 lb. ; Hard Fescue, 1 lb. ; Sheep’s Fescue, 1 lb. ; Smooth 
Meadow Grass, 14 lb. ; Yarrow, 1 lb.; Perennial Red Clover, 1 lb. ; 
Cow Grass, 1 lb. ; Alsike, 1 lb. ; Dutch Clover, 1 lb. Mixture of 
seeds for wet soils—Meadow Foxtail, 4 lbs. ; Cocksfoot, 10 lbs. ; 
Catstail, 3 lbs. ; Meadow Fescue, 3 lbs. ; Tall Fescue, 8 lbs. ; Crested 
Dogstail, 2 lbs.; Rough Meadow Grass, 2lbs. ; Red Fescue, 2 lbs. ; 
and 1 lb. each of Hard Fescue, Yarrow, Perennial Red Clover, Cow 
Grass, Alsike, and Dutch Clover. Mixture of seeds for chalky soils— 
Cocksfoot, 14 lbs. ; Catstail, 3 lbs. ; Meadow Fescue, 2 lbs. ; Crested 
Dogstail, 5 lbs. ; Hard Fescue, 4 lbs. ; Sheep’s Fescue, 4 lbs. ; 
Yarrow, 2 lbs. ; and 1 lb. each of Golden Oat Grass, Perennial Red 
Clover, Alsike, and Dutch Clover. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse and Hand Labour. —Potato-planting will be done now as soon 
as the land will bear the broad-wheeled manure carts upon it. A clean 
Wheat stubble was ploughed for this purpose in autumn, and during 
winter a heap of farmyard manure has gradually been made upon the 
headland nearest a hard road. The manure will be turned and shaken apart 
before it is put in the carts, in order that it may be easily and quickly 
distributed over the surface : it will then be ploughed in. The horse hoe is 
then passed across the forrows, and the drills made 30 inches apart with 
the double-breasted plough drawn by one horse. Artificial manure is 
scattered along the drills, and the Potatoes are then put in. The manure 
used is a mixture, consisting of three-quarter cwt. nitrate of potash, half 
cwt. nitrate of soda, cwt. steamed bone flour, 2^ cwt. coprolite per 
acre. Snowflake, Dunbar Regent, Magnum Bonum, and Scotch Cham¬ 
pion are the sorts which answer well with us under field cultivation. A 
successional crop of spring Tares has been sown, and the sowing of Barley, 
Oats, and late Peas will be finished as soon as possible. Let us remind 
all those having any trouble to get the land in order for spring Oats of 
our repeated advice in the autumn to sow winter Oats. The land then 
gave no trouble, the plant came strongly and well, and the growth now 
is remarkably forward and vigorous, and the dark green hue of the entire 
crop shows clearly how highly beneficial the spring dressing of artificial 
manure has proved. 
Live Stock. —Ewes with forward lambs that are strong enough to bear 
exposure are now being put thinly about the meadows; but as young per¬ 
manent pasture of the first, second, or third year becomes ready, begin 
folding upon it at once. In view of this, nitrate of soda was sown upon 
a forward piece or two of the seeds in February, and the first vigorous 
shoot is now ready for the sheep. Do not turn them out upon it, but pass 
them over it in folds quickly. Rye is also being folded, and if necessary 
some portion of the two-year seed leys must be used. There is plenty of 
early growth in the Italian Rye Grass which may be turned to excellent 
account as it is required. Due care must be taken to use lamb gates in 
the folds so as to let the lambs run forward for the first bite. If the 
weather should be wet and cold see that the flocks aie driven to firm 
high-lying meadows at night, with some shelter from cold cutting north¬ 
east winds. Low damp ground is a prolific source of fluke and foot rot ; 
a frequent change, too, is good for the sheep. Do not be hasty in turning 
out beasts or cows upon the meadows ; the exercise of a little patience 
now will ensure a full bite for the stock, and we do not like them to have 
to ramble far for food. Before turning out try and gradually introduce 
strange cows which have now to join the herd. Put brass knobs upon 
the horns of the bullies, and do not trust weak animals with them till 
they are really out of the yards upon the grass. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" AV.; Altitude, 111 feet . 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
B 
’3 
1885. 
March. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 329 
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 . 
29 923 
31.4 
32.0 
E. 
39.9 
43.0 
2t>.5 
60.2 
21.9 
0.022 
Monday .... 
30.017 
38.7 
35.8 
N.K. 
38.9 
45.5 
33.2 
80 2 
30.3 
— 
Tuesday. 
30.347 
35.3 
33.9 
N.E. 
38 8 
42.4 
29.8 
72.8 
24 2 
— 
Wednesday . 
11 
30.523 
39.6 
35.5 
N.E. 
38.4 
44 8 
32.7 
66.7 
25.7 
— 
Thursday ... 
12 
30.495 
36.7 
35.0 
N. 
38.5 
51.1 
30.8 
83.3 
22.2 
— 
Friday. 
30.507 
41.9 
30.4 
N.E. 
39.2 
50.2 
35.9 
81.8 
29 9 
—7 
Saturday ... 
14 
30.607 
39.8 
38.9 
N.E. 
40.2 
518 
38.1 
87.3 
37.8 
— 
30.346 
38.1 
35.8 
39.1 
47.0 
32.4 
77.8 
27.4 
0.022 
REMARKS. 
8th.— Fog, especially dark from noon to 1.30 p.m. 
9th.—Fine day, some sun. 
10th.—Fine and cold; ice 0.1 inch thick. 
11th.—Fine and dry, but rather dull; clear night. 
12th.—Fine bright day. 
13th.—Cloudy early, then bright and fine. 
14th.—Dull early, fine and bright afterwards. 
A very fine week, rather colder than either of the two previous ones, and slightly 
below the average. Barometer pressure very high at the end of the week.—G. J. Symons. 
