HERE in Galloway, the drought is a distant memory and the monsoon has arrived early. It normally waits until we are about to start harvest. This has thrown our grassland-management plans. Back in the spring, we stood listening to Brian the contractor shaking his head dolefully and announcing the ground was so rock hard that he couldn’t direct drill and had to do a shallow plough ‘to make some soil’. (Contractors love getting the plough out as it is a costly business; farmers hate it for the same reason.)
The seed sat there through the drought, then grass emerged slowly with a sickly looking fluff, before coming with a rush of the ‘compensatory growth’ beloved of agronomists when it rained. Now, the tall sward of lush grass badly needs grazing to allow it to tiller and thicken in the base, but the soil brought up by the plough has the consistency of wet putty. Putting cattle or machinery on it now would take us back to square one.
How could a black-and-white bird with Day-Glo bill and pink legs think it could blend in?
Denne historien er fra July 15, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 15, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
