550 
HUSBANDRY. 
quently be made life of with advantage, after fallow-crops, 
for fowing grafs-feeds, efpecially in cafes where the lands 
are in too high a condition for the fuccefsful growth of corn. 
But in the more northern parts of the kingdom, and ex- 
pofed fituations, where the Tofts let in at an early period, 
it may be in general the moft advifable practice to put 
the feeds in, in the vernal months, with fuitable crops of 
the-grain kind. An experienced agricuiturift has indeed 
obferved, ’ that grafs-feeds anfwer almoft equally well in 
either method ; he prefers the Auguft-fow ing without corn, 
though the fuccefs of his trials in the different feafons has 
not juitified any decifive conclufion. It is even admitted 
that in rnoory an.’ mountainous fituations,. where the 
Blows come early, autumnal fowings are not advifable, or 
to be performed later than the very early part of Augult; 
the vernal feafon with oats for being cut young for foiling, 
or ha)q is conllantly to be preferred. 
Where the vernal fowing with other forts of crops is 
had recourfe to, barley is that which is the moll ulually 
recommended, and there feemstobe r.o queftion that bar¬ 
ley is in general the,fitted: grain to be fown with grafs- 
feeds. The fame tilth which anlwers for the one is re- 
quifite for the other. Barley has-a difpofition to ioolen 
the texture of the ground in which it grows; a circum- 
llance highly favourable to the vegetation of grafs-feeds, 
which require a free and open foil to extend their roots 
in ; the tender and delicate fibres of which have much 
difficulty in contending with the refillance of a flubborn 
foil. And this points out the reafon why grafs-feeds fo 
frequently fail on ftrong land not in a proper date of cul¬ 
tivation. In the choice of barley, that fort fhould be pre¬ 
ferred which runs lead to draw, and which is the fooned 
ripe. But as from the 'gralfy nature of the Hern, and the 
large fize of the ear, in this fort of grain, a conliderable 
degree of clofenefs and fliade mud condantly be kept up, 
it lhould never be fown fo thickly as in other cafes where 
there are no grafs-feeds. Some objefl to fowing grafs- 
feeds with barley on other principles, as thole of its draw¬ 
ing its nourifhment from the furfaGe, which is alfo the 
cafe with the grafs-plants, and that in confequence they 
mud be greatly retarded in their growth from the want of 
due fupport. Where the land is in a proper date of pre¬ 
paration and tillage, if fown with oats, they will be apt to 
become fo luxuriant as to greatly injure, if not wholly 
dedroy, the young grafs-plants by the clofenefs of their 
£hade. In fome calls however, they fucceed bed with 
this fort of crop. On the dronger kinds of land the fow¬ 
ing of grafs-feeds has been found to anfwer well with 
thin crops of beans. 
The importance of having the furface-mould in a fine 
date, in order to the more regular didribution, and more 
perfeft vegetation of the grals-feeds, mud be obvious to 
the practical farmer. But to effect thefe purpoles in the 
mod complete manner, the feedfman lhould be accudom- 
<ed to the bufinefs, and the feeds, as being of different 
weights, as little mixed witli each other as poflible. It is 
much better to have more cads than to blend the feeds 
together for the fake of difpatch. But the fowing fhould 
never be attempted in fuch a wet date of the land as pro¬ 
duces any great degree of tenacity in the mould, as un¬ 
der fuch circumilances the feed? would be apt to come up 
in a tufty unequal manner. Nor for the fame reafon 
inould the lighter forts of grals-feeds ever be fown in 
windy weather; as the delivering them in an equal and 
regular manner, is a p int of confequence to the forming 
of good grafs-land. In the covering-in of the feeds, care 
fhould be taken that none are left in an expofed date on 
the furface of the ground, as when that is the cale many 
of them will perilh, and the fward appear patchy. This 
bufmefs is executed in the mod complete manner by a 
pair of light (hort-tined harrows at one tilling. The 
praftice of employing bulb-harrows is improper, as in that 
way the feeds are liable to be drawn into lumps. In all 
the lighter and nibre fpongy defcriptions of land, it may 
be advantageous to pals alight roller over the furface im¬ 
mediately after the feeds have been well harrowed in. To 
cafes where the tenants and not the proprietors of the 
lands are to lay them down to grafs, it may be the molt 
advifable practice for the latter to procure the feeds; but 
at the expence of the former ; efpecially where they have 
a fufficient intered in fuch lands; as, without this pre¬ 
caution, from their general propenfity to keep the grounds 
under the plough, and their indifference in refpedt to the 
obtaining of the mod proper forts of feeds, there may be 
danger of the bufinefs’ being improperly performed. 
As the furface of fuch grounds as have been newly- 
laid down to the date of fward is, from the previous til¬ 
lage which they require, extremely tender, and readily- 
broken into holes, the turning-in of cattle with the vie>r 
of feeding them down, mud in mod cafes be highly pre~- 
judicial. The bed practice is therefore to fuffer no fort 
of dock to be put upon fuch lands till the fpring after 
their being laid down; or, where the farmer finds it abfo- 
luteiy neceffary to turn upon the lands, the lighted fort 
of dock fiiould condantly be.lele-fled for the purpofe. 
There appears to be a drong difference of opinion among 
agriculturids, as to the earlier management of thefe crops* 
fome maintaining the fuperiority of keeping the ground 
clofely fed down by Iheep or horned-cattle, while^others- 
conceive mowing or feeding as preferable. There feems 
little reafon to doubt but that feeding is a much better 
practice than thofeof either mowing or leeding; the chief 
difficulty is in refpect to the fort of dock that is the 
moft proper. On the more dry and firm forts of ground 
a mixed dock may be the mod advantageous, as’horned- 
cattle and Iheep, as in that way the new pafture may be 
fed down in the mod regular manner; but on thofe that 
are of a more open, porous, and lefs firm, quality, Iheep, 
by their eating fo clofely, may do much harm, elpecialiy 
in the fird years of the new lay, by pulling up the young 
and imperfeltly-eftablifiied grafs-plants. ' In lands that 
are more inclined to moidure, the Confirming of the pro¬ 
duce by horned-cattle mult condantly be liable to do mifi- 
chief, except in very dry l'eafons ; they mud of courfe be 
principally fed down by dieep. And in all cafes where 
the new lay is chiefly conflituted of the more coarre lore 
of grades, Iheep would feem to be the mod proper kind 
of dock, as the grades are thereby condantly becoming 
finer and Tweeter. The lweetnefs of the padurage on many 
llieep-downs has been remarked to depend more on their 
being kept clofefed down than any other circumdance, as* 
on being neglected in this refpefl, it becomes coarfe, and, 
is rejected. It has been well obferved, indeed, that Iheep- 
feeding not only ameliorates by enriching the foil, and 
fining the herbage, buf all'o by dedroying weeds. 
It has been long the practice in many didricls with the 
mod improved cultivators, to have recourfe to the method 
of Iheep-feeding for fome time after laying the lands down 
to grafs, as two ylars or more. And, where ray-grafs and 
white clover are intended to remain fome years^ it is found 
advantageous to eat them the fird year by Iheep, in clof- 
ing, thickening, and rendering them more permanent. 
Thefe facls are all in evidence of the great propriety and 
utility of the pradice of feeding new grals-lands. It mull 
however be obferved, that, in order to render the practice 
as iafe and beneficial as poflible, the new lays lhould not 
be fed during the autumn, or the dock turned into them 
at too early a period in the fpring. Nor fiiould they be 
too heavily docked, or the dock kept in the padures too 
long, efpecially when it conlids principally of Iheep, as 
they may do much harm by paring and eating the plants 
fo clolely down, as to expofe their roots too much to the 
effects of drought. And in cafes where the grades have 
run up much to Item, if the lands be diffidently docked 
with plants, it may be an uleful method to cut them 
over by means of a feythe before their feeds are formed, 
as by this means they will become more ltrong and vi¬ 
gorous; but, in the contrary circumstances, they are bet¬ 
ter left for the purpofe of providing a more abundant fup- 
ply of young grades, as the benefit obtained in this way 
J will 
