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By GERALD S. HAWKINS
Rappahannock News Contributing Writer
More than 200 years ago, Lord Leicester of Holkham decided to seed his hay fields with the best grass he could find growing in the wild hedge rows. It turned out to be orchard grass, Dactylis glomerata, one of today’s most popular hay stock.
But he was lucky - what grows like a weed in the climate of eastern England needs special nurturing in the eastern U.S. It needs to be fed with fertilizer and dressed with lime, almost like a suburban lawn.
When the first season came round after I moved to the farm, I figured that the fields would need 10,000 pounds of fertilizer — a far cry from the 10-pound bag one might spread on the front lawn. Nor are the fields of Hawkridge neat, flat > squares. The Dell field is edged by a ' stream with swampy patches, £ Woodchuck Hill is steep with rocky * outcrops, and even the flat meadow has its difficult places. * Not being too handy with farm machinery, I arranged for a contractor to do the spreading.
I chose a calm day in early spring during a dry spell when the ground was firm, and I stood at the gate
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