551 
HUSBANDRY. 
wl! more than counterbafance the injury fa ft a in ed by the 
running up of the old plants. 
But, though the practice of feeding new-laid grafles 
in the firft years appears to be the molt advantageous 
and proper mode of management, efpecially for lands in¬ 
tended for pafture, there are many cafes in which they 
may be mown with great fuccefs. This practice is per¬ 
haps always the molt beneficial and proper, and indeed 
the only one that can be fafely adopted in fuch foils as 
poflefs any great degree of moilture, as under fuch cir- 
cumftances the feeding them down with any fort of live- 
ftock muft in moft feafons be injurious to the fward. 
And, befides, where the objeft and intention of the far¬ 
mer is chiefly hay, the grafs-plants, by being kept clofely 
eaten down by live-ftock for a confiderable length of time 
before the fcythe is applied, may, from their becoming 
thereby dilpoled to a low and lateral fpreading growth, be 
afterwards more unfit for the production of hay-crops. 
On t'hefe principles it may be a more judicious practice to 
manage lands defigned for hay wfithout having them for 
any great length of time, previoufly to their being mown, 
fed down clofely with flock, as in this way a larger pro¬ 
duce of hay may be afforded. 
Where the new lays are mown the firft year after being 
laid down, which is not a method to be generally recom¬ 
mended, it is an e^ellent pradtice to apply a moderate 
coat of manure over'them in the autumn, efpecially when 
the ftate of the land and the feafon is fuch, in refpeft to 
drynefs, as to admit of its being done without injuring 
the furface-fward ; as by this means the grafs-plants not 
only become more ftrong and vigorous, but better efta- 
blifhed in the foil, and of courle bear cutting with much 
lefs injury. 
In regard to the application of manure to new-laid- 
down grafs-lands, though it will feldom be abfolutely re- 
quifite, where they have been returned to the ftate of 
iward under the degree of fertility and preparation that 
has been already advifed, it may in many cafes be had 
recourfe to with great advantage, as it is probably one of 
the bell means of preferving a good clofe ftate of fward 
when judicioufly employed. It is a fad however, that, 
though in general no manure will be wanted till the land 
has been'mown for hay, there can be little doubt but 
that great additional improvement will be produced where 
manure of any fort can be applied, and that, the oftener 
the land is manured, the greater will be the improvement. 
If the lands have been laid to grafs with corn-crops, the 
application of a flight drefling of manure in the autumn 
following will be of great utility in fixing and encourag¬ 
ing the growth of the young grafs-plants ; but in other 
cafes the latter end of the fummer-fallowing, or very 
eariy in the autumn, are fuppofed to be the moft benefi¬ 
cial periods for the purpofe; but as at thefe times, in 
many inllances*- much lofs of manure may be fuftained, 
both by evaporation and the walhing of heavy fains and 
fnows, it may be a better and more advilable practice to 
perform the bufinefs in the early fpring-months, efpeci¬ 
ally where the lands are to be conducted under the fcythe, 
as in this way the enriching material will be ready to ex¬ 
ert its influence at the moment the young plants begin 
to fend forth their new (hoots; and thus not only afford 
more afliltance in thickening and invigorating the new' 
fward, but be lefs in danger of being ufelefsly diflipated 
and wafted. 
The effects of watering have likewife been found pow¬ 
erful in the reproduction of l’ward; and, where it can be 
had at command, land may with great facility be broken 
up for corn, and afterwards returned to a ftate of mea¬ 
dow. See the article Irrigation. See alfo the article 
Grass, vol. viii. p. 795-799, and the correfpondent En¬ 
gravings. 
Thus vve fee, the introduction both of natural and ar¬ 
tificial grafles between thofe of the corn kind, is a prac¬ 
tice of the greateft utility and importance, as the lands 
are thereby not only prevented from'being fo much ex- 
haufted as would otherwife be the cafe, and at thd" fame 
time rendered fit for the growth of particular kinds of 
grain without the neceffity of fallowing, but a much 
larger proportion of green and other food than could 
otherwife be obtained, is provided for the fupport of live- 
ftock. 
Red Clover is one of the bell and moft general of 
the artificial grasses. It is capable of being culti¬ 
vated on almofl ail the more heavy and dry defcriptions 
of land which are in a tolerable ftate of fertility, and it 
is faid to fucceed on the deeper kinds of gravelly, chalky, 
and fandy, foils. In refpeCt to preparation, it is lefs nice 
than many other herbaceous plants; yet, the finer the mould 
the land has been brought into, the better it fucceeds. 
And, as wheat is the grain-crop that moftly follows clo¬ 
ver, if may he the moft advantageous practice to apply 
manure for the crop with which it is grown, as by that 
means the ground will be in the moft fuitable condition 
for that crop. It is of much confequence, in raifing crops 
of clover, to fow fuch feed as is perfectly good, frefh, and 
well ripened ; as, from its being kept in the (hops for a 
confiderable time, much of it becomes in a ftate unfit for 
vegetating. That which is good has a bright appearance. 
Aides eafily in the hand, fmeils fweet, and has the purple- 
coloured feeds greatly prevailing over thofe of the yellow 
caft. 
On the richer forts of foil that are clean from weeds, 
ten or twelve pounds of feed may be a fufficient quantity 
for the acre, while fixteen or eighteen pounds will not be 
too much for thofe that are of a more ftiff quality, and 
poflefs a lefs degree of fertility. Where the land is to be 
converted to the purpofe of pafturage for two or more 
years, it may alfo be advantageous to fow a larger pro¬ 
portion of feed than where it is to be broken up in the 
following feafon. And where it is to be cut for hay, it 
is better to be fown rather thin, as the plants will be in 
lefs danger of being drawn up weak. 
When it is fown with oats, the moft common time of 
putting it in is about the beginning of March ; but with 
barley it is performed at a later period, as in April. It 
may therefore, perhaps, be more properly fown with this 
crop than oats in the later diftri&s, where it might be 
apt to fuffer from the froits in the preceding months. 
On the richer foils, as from the luxuriance of its growth 
too much of it is frequently cut with the barley, lb as to 
keep it in the field fo long as to expole it to danger, ef¬ 
pecially in bad feafons, or from the barley becoming rank 
and lodging, great injury may be done to the clover, it , 
may be more advifabie to fow it with the oat, or over 
wheat-crops. But on the thinner foils there is feldom 
any danger, to be apprehended in this way. In order to 
prevent its proving hurtful to the barley in its early 
growth, by the rapid progrels which it makes in fome 
cafes, it has been recommended not to low it till the 
barley has fprouted to the height of two or three inches, 
as it may then be performed to equal advantage as at an. 
earlier period, the barley being rather benefited than in¬ 
jured by the flight harrowing which would be nec^ftary. 
In lowing it among wheat it is the belt method, efpeci¬ 
ally in the fouthern diftrifts, to have the bufinefs per¬ 
formed at as early a period in March as the land becomes 
fufficiently dry to admit of harrowing. 
Clover-crops may likewife be advantageoufly raifed 
without being mixed with thofe of the grain kind. In 
very rich foils this may indeed often be the beft practice, 
as the danger of either crop being injured by the other 
will be fully obviated. The fcwing in this cafe Ihould 
be executed as early in the lpring as the ftate of the land 
and that of the feafon will with fafety permit. When it 
is lown with grain-crops, on the more fertile and better 
prepared lands, with the intention of being kept in the 
ftate of pafture for fome time, the grain fho-uld always be 
fown much thinner, or in lefs proportion, than is ufuaf 
under 
