Quicklime, spread in powder over the surface of pasture lands, will scarcely fail to improve, not only the poor, but the more valuable ones. The moss plants, which are so particularly pernicious, am thus destroyed, and converted into valtia. ble inanure. Upon impoverished and worn-out lands, about 270 bushels per acre, on the sward, in the slimmer, will be found of great anti durable efficacy in cleaning- and improving them. Mixing lime with earth taken from ditches or pond.s is superior to using it alone, and, as a general rule, double the quantity of earth should be mixed with that of lime. The requisite proportions vary, however, with the nature of the soils; but are easily ascertained by attentive workmen.
Paring and burning may be applied to pasture with great success in a partial manlier, by grubbingup rushes and bush es with which it may be encumbered, burning them after they are dried, and before the autumnal mins come on spread ing their ashes on the sin-face. In some instances this husbandry may be success fully exercised on pasture over the whole surface, as particularly on a poor worn out ley; which, by such a process, attend ed with the harrowing in of white clover, and several other grass seeds, at the time of spreading the ashes, has been imp roved into a very fine meadow. Where suita ble, such a practice may be regarded as one of the cheapest of all improvementq.
Prom whatever cause land may be overrun with moos plants; or covered with fern, rushes, and ant-hills, it should b e subj ected for some time to the plough, as no other method is equally useful to prepare for permanently ameliomting its pasture.
To prepare arable land for grass, it must be cleaned from weeds, and well manured, just in the same manner as that which is required for a crop of grain. Excepting upon stilt clays, the most eli gible. preparation for grass is a crop of turnips, consumed by cattle in the field ; the ground being thus at once manured and cleaned. Where lands are broken expres.sly for ,the purpose of improv ing the pasture, the turnips scarcely fail to succeed, through the manure afforded so abundantly by the fresh turf; and the cattle deriving, from the abundant crop consequent on this circumstance, a plen tiful food, are thus enabled, the more extensively, to improve the soil by dung. On the clay land, the soil should be very liberally manured in spring or autumn, it eught to be ploughed once in autumn, and three or four times more in summer, pre viously to the period of sowing the seeds, which should take plane in August. As
to the much agitated question of sowing grass seeds with or without a Crop of corn, it may be observed, that it is impos sible for lands intended for grass crops, or meadow, to possess too high a state of richness, and that, after the soil is im pmved with a view to its permanent fer tility in grass, to weaken it by a crop of corn appears little better than blind or infatuated counteraction. lf, however, the practice be persevered in, which has so generally been followed in this respect, barley should be the grain preferred, as springing up with a slight stalk, and not overshadowing anti smothering the grass plants, and also as beingthe incum brance to those plants more speedily re moved than any other.
Whether the grass seeds be sown in August after a fallow, or with corn in spring, all trampling by horses or cattle should be effectually prevented. Every thing, therefore, should be kept out from it, both during autumn and winter. Not only is the tender soil, which is extremely susceptible of injury, thus secured from it, but the pasturage in the spring is of pro portionally more value for not having been eaten off in autumn, and affords a most valuable early bite for the e we ran d lambs.
l'he proper treatment of levs .during the first year is, to feed them with sheep, unless, after a crop of hay be taken from them, vast quantities of manure be spread over their surface.
The chief food of cattle consisting of grasses, their importance is as obvious as it is great, and the distinguishing and se lecting- them cannot be too fully attended to. By this care the best grasses, and in the greatest abundance that the land ad mits of; are secured ; while, for want of this attention, pastures are either filled with weeds, or bad and inappropriate grasses. The number of grasses fit, or at least necessary, for the ptuposes of cul ture, is but small, scarcely exceeding half a score, and by the careful separation and sowing of the seeds of these, the hus bandman would soon be enabled. to ac commodate the varieties of his soil, each with the herbage best adapted to it, the advantage of which would infinitely ex ceed the trouble necessary for its accom plishment. Were a great variety of grain to be sown in the same inclosure, the ab surdity would be universally ridiculed; and scarcely less absurd and ridiculous is the common practice of indiscrimi nately sowing grass seeds from the foul hay rack, including a mixture of almost every species of gTass seed and rubbish.