128 BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS 







Meadow Fescue, Meadow Foxtail, with some of the 

 fine-leaved Fescues, Tall Fescue, and Crested Dog's- 

 tail ; but unfortunately all of these, with the exception 

 of Crested Dog's-tail, are very difficult to establish. 

 This brings us to the farmer's chief objection to the 

 temporary ley. He says it takes from upwards of six 

 years to establish a herbage equivalent to a permanent 

 sward, and that even by sowing permanent grasses it 

 is not possible materially to hasten matters; but it has 

 also been assumed that the permanent grasses which 

 eventually establish themselves owe their origin to 

 having been included in the original seed mixture. 

 This is, however, by no means always the case. 

 Mr. Jenkin in North Wales and myself in Mid Wales 

 have been able to show that most of the fine-leaved 

 Fescues, and several other species met with in old 

 leys, are almost entirely due to the indigenous plants 

 which have established themselves naturally, quite 

 independent of what seed may have been sown. 

 Meadow Fescue, again, a seed which is very largely 

 sown for four to eight years leys, never justified itself 

 from commercial seed in many of our grass-land dis- 

 tricts. It does so in a few localities on very fertile 

 soils. Meadow Foxtail, a most valuable plant, very 

 seldom, if ever, establishes itself from commercial 

 seed to any extent, even on soils which have been 

 regarded as eminently suitable to this plant. I have 

 seen fields adjoining each other where the one, an 

 old permanent meadow, was full of Meadow Fox- 

 tail, whilst the adjoining ley, over six years down, 

 although this seed was included largely in the mix- 

 ture, contained but little or no Foxtail herbage. I 

 have, moreover, met cases where a ley in its first year 

 was full of Rough-stalked Meadow Grass, although 

 not an ounce of the seed had been sown. Cocksfoot, 

 however, is a plant which will not establish itself at 



