PASTURE. 765) 
pofed cold lands, it is proper to fow the feeds earlier 
than is here mentioned, that the grafs may have time to 
get good rooting before, the cold feafon comes on to 
flop "its growth ; for, in fuch fituations, vegetation is 
over early in autumn, fo the grafs, being weak, may be 
deftroyed by fro ft ; but, if the feeds are fown in the be¬ 
ginning of Auguft, and a few ffiowers follow foon after 
to bring up the grafs, it will fucceed much better than 
any which is fown in thefpring. But, where the ground 
cannot be prepared for lowing at that feafon, it may be 
performed the middle or latter end of March, according 
to the feafon's being early or late; but, whenever the 
feeds are fown late in the ipring, it will be proper to roll 
the ground w'ell foon after the feeds are fown, to fettle 
the furface, and prevent its being removed. 
The forts of feeds which are the bed for this purpofe, 
are the bed fort of upland hay-feeds, taken from the 
cleaned pallures, where there are no bad weeds; if this 
feed is lifted to clean it from rubbifli, three, or at mod 
four, bulhels, will be fufficient to fow an acre of land. 
The other fort is the Trifolium pratenfe album, which is 
commonly known by the names of white Dutch clover, 
or white honeyfuckle-grafs : eight pounds of this feed 
will be enough for one acre of land. The grafs-feed 
fliould be fown firit, and then the Dutch clover-feed may 
be afterward fown ; but they fliould not be mixed toge¬ 
ther, becaufe the clover-leeds, being the heavied, will fall 
to the bottom, and, confequently, the ground will be 
unequally fown with them. After the feeds are fown, the 
ground Ihould be lightly harrowed to bury the feeds ; 
N but this fliould be performed with a fhort-toothed har¬ 
row, otherwile the feeds will be buried too deep. Two 
or three days after fowing, if the furface of the ground 
is dry, it fhould be rolled with a barley-roller to break 
the clods and fniooth the ground, which will fettle it, 
and prevent the feeds from being removed by the wind. 
When the feeds are come up, if the land fliould produce 
many weeds, thefe fliould be drawn out before they grow 
fo tall as to overbear the grafs ; for, where this lias been 
liegledled, the weeds have taken fuch pofl'effion of the 
ground, as to keep down the grafs and ftarve it; and, 
when thefe weeds have been buffered to remain until 
they have ftied their feeds, the land has been fo plentifully 
flocked with them, as entirely to deftroy the grafs ; there¬ 
fore it is one of the principal parts of hufbandry, never 
to fuffer weeds to grow on the land. 
If the ground is rolled two or three times at proper 
diitances after the grafs is up, it will prefs down the 
grafs, and caufe it to make a thicker bottom; for, as 
the Dutch clover will put out roots from every joint of 
the branches which are near the ground, fo, by prefling 
down the flalks, the roots will mat fo clofely together, 
as to form a fward fo thick as to cover the whole furface 
of the ground, and form a green carpet, which will bet¬ 
ter refill the drought. If we do but examine the com¬ 
mon paflures in fummer (in moll of which there are 
patches of this white lioneyfuckle-grafs growing natu¬ 
rally), we (hall find thefe patches to be the only verdure 
remaining in the fields. And this the farmers in general 
acknowledge is the fvveeteft feed for all forts of cattle, 
yet they never had any notion of propagating it by feeds till 
of late years. Nor has this been long pradtifed in Eng¬ 
land ; for till within a few years, that fome curious per¬ 
fons imported the feed from Brabant, where it had been 
long cultivated, there u'ere not any of the feeds laved in 
England ; though now there are feveral perfons who fave 
the feeds here, which fucceed full as well as any of the 
foreign feeds which are imported. 
As this white clover is an abiding plant, fo it is cer¬ 
tainly the very bed fort to fow where pallures are laid 
down to remain ; for, as the hay-feeds which are taken 
from the bell pallures will be compofed of various forts 
of grafs, fome of which may be but annual and others 
biennial, fo, when thofe go oft', there will be many and 
large patches of ground left bare and naked, if there is 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1280. 
not a fufficient quantity of the white clover to fpread 
over and cover the land. Therefore a good fward can 
never be expedled where this is not fown ; for, in mod of 
the natural padures, we find this plant makes no fmall 
fliare of the fward ; and it is equally good for wet and dry 
land, growing naturally upon gravel and clay in moll 
parts of England ; which is a plain indication how ealily 
this plant may be cultivated to great advantage, in moll 
forts of land throughout this kingdom. 
The true caufe why the land which is in tillage is not 
brought to a good turf again, in the ufual method of 
hufbandry, is, from the farmers not didinguilhing which 
grades are annual, from thofe which are perennial; if 
annual or biennial grades are fown, thefe will of courfe 
foon decay; fo that, unlefs where fome of their feeds may 
have ripened and fallen, nothing can be expedled on the 
land but what will naturally come up. This, together 
with the covetous method of laying down the ground 
with a crop of corn, has occafioned the general failure of 
increafing the padure in many parts of England, where 
it is now' much more valuable than any arable land. 
After the ground has been fown in the manner before 
directed, and brought to a good fward, the way to pre- 
ferveit good is, by conllantly rolling the ground with a 
heavy roller, every fpring and autumn, as has been be¬ 
fore direfled. This piece of hufbandry is rarely pradlifed 
by farmers ; but thofe who do, find their account in it, 
for it is of _great benefit to the grafs. Another thing 
fhould alfo be carefully performed, which is, to cut up 
docks, dandelion, knapweed, and all fuch bad weeds, by 
their roots every fpring and autumn; this will increafe 
the quantity of good grafs, and preferve the pallures in 
beaut}'. Dreffing thele pallures every third year, is alfo 
a good piece of hufbandry, for otherwife it cannot be 
expedled the ground fhould continue to produce good 
crops. Befides this, it will be proper to mow one feafon, 
and feed the next; but, where the ground is every year 
mown, it mud be conllantly dreffed, as moft of the grafs- 
grounds near London, otherwife the ground will be foon 
exhaufted. 
Of late years there has been an emulation, efpecially 
among gentlemen, to improve their pallures, by fowing 
feveral forts of grafs-feeds; and there have been fome 
perfons of little (kill in thefe matters, who have impofed 
on many ignorant people, by felling them feeds of fome 
foreign grafs, recommending them for fome particular 
quality, but when tried have proved of little worth, 
whereby they have loll a feafon or two, and have had 
their work to begin again. Therefore we would advife 
every perfon not to trull too much upon the faith of fuch 
pradlitioners, who, upon flight experiments, have ven¬ 
tured to recommend without judgment; for, of all the 
forts of grafs-feeds which have been brought from Ame¬ 
rica, none is equal to the Poa grafs, which grows natu¬ 
rally in England, either for duration or verdure; there¬ 
fore that, and about fix or feven other forts, are the bed 
worth cultivating; but the trouble of colledling thefe in 
quantity is fo great as to deter moft people from attempt¬ 
ing it: and, in the purchafing of hay-feeds, there is ge¬ 
nerally more feed of weeds than grafs, which will foon 
fill the ground. There are no two better plants yet 
known for the purpofe of fodder, than the lucern and 
faintfoin ; for, where thefe are properly flown upon right 
foils and duly cultivated, they will produce a much 
greater quantity of food than can be procured from the 
fame quantity of land fown with any other abiding 
plant; therefore let thofe who are defirous to have much 
fodder for their cattle, apply themfelves to the culture of 
thefe, and not engage in uncertain experiments. 
The following diredlions for laying down land to grafs 
are given by Mr. Stillingfleet. Plough the land in March 
as deep as the nature of the foil will admit. Harrow 
when the weeds are about flowering, namely, fome time 
in May, or fooner if it be a forward Ipring. Plough 
about ten days after harrowing. Harrow wdien the 
9 K. weeds 
