weeds which may grow amongst them, are mown off twice in the course of summer, and the land rolled after each mowing; by autumn, if the season has been tolerably favorable, a rich luxuriant pasture is produced."

Seed. Mr. Steele's directions, for procuring natural seeds, are well conceived.-N. p. 172. "After the land is thoroughly cleaned from noxious weeds, and properly encoraged for the reception of the seed, judgment should be exercised in procuring good and proper hay-seeds to suit the nature of the land intended to be set down.

"If it is up-land, and free from floods, then procure your grass-seeds from the best old up-land pasture, and not from low meadow, liable to be flooded. If it consists of ings, or low-land adjoining a river, then refrain from sowing hay-seeds grown on up-land, and procure your seeds from good low meadows; for the seeds of up-land hay will not prosper well on lowland, nor the hay-seeds of water-land upon ground not liable to be flooded. This remark is of more importance than the generality of farmers conceive. Sow about eight bushels of hay-seeds and ten pounds of white clover-seed to an acre. To procure your hay-seeds, ride into the neighbouring farms, see which of them has meadow growing that will suit your purpose; by which means you may obtain your desire, which is difficult to be done at the seedsman's shop, or with hostlers at the public inns."-It is proper to add, however, that if it be right to procure the seeds of herbage, in this manner, the producing crop should be weeded, once or oftener, while growing,the hay, when thoroughly dry, be thrashed in the field, -and, when circumstance will allow, the seeds be immediately sown.

Young Leys.-P. 179.-" The best farmers usually pasture their new-laid ground the first two years, and that chiefly with sheep; as sheep improve grass-land more than any other kind of stock, both by their

Ii2

treading

treading more lightly and uniformly, and by the dung and urine being more regularly dispersed over the land. But the practice of eating them very bare during the first autumn and winter after sowing, and also mowing them the first summer, is too prevalent. Such practices are the ruin of seeds."

Spring Feedage.-In the section "Fallowing," the Reporter says, N. p. 105,-" I have met with two instances, one in Lincolnshire, and the other near York, of rye-grass being sown with the last crop before a fallow, which was eaten during winter and spring, until near Midsummer, and afforded an abundant supply of food during the time; after which it was ploughed up to be fallowed for wheat: this, where the land is clean, and does not require to be winter ploughed, affords a great relief to the farmer for his stock in the spring, and is very profitable."And further to show his good opinion of the practice, he brings it forward again (p. 342), as a "means of improvement."-As an expedient, it may sometimes be eligible; but certainly not, as a practice. If land be clean, it ought not to be summer-fallowed ;-if foul, it should be broken up in autumn, that it may receive the melioration of the atmosphere in every season, and be the more effectually cleansed ;-with the loss of only one year's rent.

GRASS LANDS, or perennial herbage. Seeing the large proportion of the cultivated lands of the Riding, which is found in a state of natural herbage (see p. 471), it were but reasonable to expect a superiority in the management, of such lands, prevalent in the district. Yet I find that, on repeatedly reading, or let me say attentively studying, the Board's Report concerning it,-in order to discover what useful information it might contain, I have not marked a single line for extraction; and I had, now, nearly left the subject unnoticed;-important as it is, in the rural affairs of North Yorkshire. Lest, however, my readers should suspect that I have passed carelessly over the North

Riding

Riding Report, I will mention what the Reporter says, in opening his chapter on " Grass.”

P. 168." The principal part of the grass-land in the North Riding, consists of old pasture and meadow, which is chiefly appropriated to the dairy. In most parts of this Riding, the dairy is a principal object of the farmer's attention; it is therefore natural to expect, that where grass is so prominent a feature in the cultivation of the district, that such district would excel in the management and improvement of that particular produce; but the reverse is the case with respect to most of the grazing parts of this Riding, and of the vale of York in particular:"-and, there, it is probable, the Reporter's observations had been more particularly made. He speaks, however, of the practice of the dales of the western morelands, as being exemplary. And I can speak to that of the dales of the eastern morelands, and of the vale of Pickering; as being, in the management of hay grounds, on a par with, or superior to that of the kingdom at large;-always excepting the accurate practice of the. hay farmers, near the metropolis; who have no other object to engage their attention.

The Reporter's remarks on the high grass-land ridges of the vale of York (p. 168.) show that he had not duly considered the subject he was writing upon: being led, perhaps, by popular ideas, more than by his own observation and judgement. He had not, probably, at the time he wrote, sufficiently examined into the existing state and management of the cowgrounds, and other old grass lands, of the kingdom at large.

HORSES.-Breed.-P. 273.-" YORKSHIRE has long been famed for its breed of horses, and particularly this Riding, in almost every part of which, considerable numbers are still bred; the prevailing species of which, are those adapted to the coach and the saddle.

"In

1

"In the northern part of the vale of York, the breed has got too light in bone, for the use of the farmers, by the introduction of too much of the racing blood; but the most valuable horses for the saddle, and some coach-horses, are there bred."

P. 274. "Horses constitute a considerable part of the stock of the high parts of the Western Morelands; the farmers there, generally keep a few Scotch galloways, which they put to stallions of the country, and produce an hardy and very strong race, in proportion to their size, which are chiefly sold into the manufacturing part of the West Riding and Lancashire to be employed in ordinary purposes.

Cutting Colts.-P. 275. " The colts are usually gelded in the spring following, and in summer, are allowed only an inferior pasture; the next winter, they make their living in the fields, or in the strawyard, except they are intended to work in the spring, which is frequently expected of those of a strong kind: such are rather better kept as the time of labor draws nigh, and are only put to light and easy work, and generally work only half a day at once.

"Some keep their colts a year longer, before the operation is performed, and find that such become the stronger and handsomer horses. The foal always receives a great check by being weaned, which it does not well recover before it gets the fresh pasture of the following summer. The foals which are gelded at one year old, receive a second check, at the very time they should begin to recover from the first; whereas, at two years old, they appear to be in the best condition for the operation, and recover at least as well as at one year old, and are much improved by the keeping of the preceding year."

Making up for Sale. P. 976.-"The method practised by the farmers, in making up their two-year old colts for sale in autumn, is to give them good grass, and only take them up about a week before the time of sale, in order to reduce their carcase, improve

their

coats,

coats, and teach them to lead; they are usually sold with their full tails, to dealers, who afterwards make them up more according to art. The first business, is to draw their corner teeth, in order to make three and four-year old horses have the mouths of those of five; they also undergo the operations of docking and nicking; and after having been kept for two or three months on mashes made of bran, ground oats, or boiled corn, they are sold to the London dealers, who, it is said, sell those three or four-year old horses as if they were five years old; they are then taken into immediate work, either for the coach or saddle; and in a few months, many of them are completely destroyed by this premature and too severe labor.

"This drawing the teeth, is not a fraud practised upon the London dealers; they know the deception, and insist upon its being done by the country dealers. It is requisite to be done some months before the London dealers finally sell them for use, or the tooth which denotes a horse to be five years old, would not be grown; consequently the deception could not have taken place."

CATTLE. Breed.-P. 247. The breed of cattle throughout the North Riding, is the short-horned, except towards the western extremity, where some small long-horned cattle are to be met with, and also a mixed breed between the two; the natural consequence of bordering on the West Riding and Westmoreland, the countries of the long-horned breed.”. P. 249. The cattle of the Western Morelands are small; in the lower parts of the dales, they are generally of the short-horned kind; but in the higher situations, near the moors, and on the borders of the West Riding and Westmoreland, the long-horned breed prevails; and in consequence of there being two breeds in the neighbourhood, it is natural that there should be a considerable number of a mongrel, or mixed breed, between the two."