FOXGLOVE
STANDING on the lip of the Downs was like standing on the edge of the world. Below me in the valley emadows I could see the last of the sileage being cut.
Given a suitable amount of rain and the sunshine we have been having there would be every chance of a second cut later in the year. Grass is one of the most important crops and the least regarded by people who are nt involved in the countryside.
The dogs that lounged, panting, at my feet would until recently have had a special job to do before the cutting. For a few days, they and many like them, would be used to flush deer out of the long grass and alert the does to the fact that this was no longer a safe place to live. This would reduce the chance of fawns being caught in the blades during the cutting.
For full feature see West Sussex Gazette June 13