Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-01
ENGLISH TREATMENT OF GRASS
LAND.

LANE.
Mr.. Henry Taylor, who has had long ex-
perience in England on the estates Of the
Duke of Bedford, gives the following inter
esting account to the American Institute
Farmers Club, Q: how meadow land IS
managed in England. He says grass land
is becoming more valuable every year in
consequence of the various kinds of live
stock being so much improved; the produce
Of the dairy also is daily increasingin value.
Some Of the permanent grass farms COM
mand a rental of from "a to FLO per acre.
The first step toward improving the grass
farms in England is to make drains, which
should be quite five feet in depth, and 66
feet apart, except in very tenacious
soils, where the drains should be 80 feet
apart. The next operation is to dress the
lands with about 10 loads per acre Of a pOr-
ton Of well rotted farmyard manure, soil Of
any description, road-scrapings, ashes, lime,
etc. Thoroughly mix the whole together
in large heap, then allow the mass to re-
main six or eight months previous TO cart
ing it on the fields which should be done
In autumn or fall. This measure should
be at once equally distributed over the
grass, and as soon as the weather in the
spring will allow you to operate, the grass
should be first thoroughly narrowed with
. pair of heavy iron-toothed harrows in
various directions across the field, which
operation viii thoroughly mix the manure
with the surface of the grass. Then all
kinds of rubbish, such as stones, sticks, or
any other matter that viii be Objectionable
10 have in contact with the mowing-ma-
chine should be carefully picked off by lads
and carted away to repair the roads near to
frequented gateways on the farm and'tben the
last but most important operation should
be done-that is to thoroughly roll, twice in
place, the whole of the grass. This Ope-
ration is considered by the EEglish farmer
TO be Of the most and greatest importance,
for It is generally admitted that it is impos-
1ible to consolidate too much the soil about
the roots of all grasses. These operations
encourage the grass to spring up more
thickly, and produce a better quality Of
herbace, both for grazing and for hay. The
comparison between grass land thus man
aged, as / have teebly described, and that
which is paid less attention to, is very re-
markable, and the apparent difference in the
weight Of grain per acre, also the difference
in the thrift Of the cattle, is so glaring that
no sensible farmer would hesitate
70 treat his meadows in the manner
I have described; for it is a well-knOwn
fact that land, not only in England,
but in every country, will only renumerate
occupiersSby paying every attention and
farming it well and thoroughly; and l feel
there must be thousands Ofacres in this fine
country that would pay thoroughly well if
it was sown down to permanent pasture
where the farmer would have better op-
portunitity to improve his breed of cattle
and sheep.
1t certainly sounds like a fairy tale to
think of grass lands renting from $50 to S5C
per acre, yet It is well known that an Eng
llsh farmer can better afTerd to pay tina
price for land, for one year, than our farm
ers can for fee simple interest, so great il
the difference in the method Of farming il
the two countries.