296 TFiEES TO BE LEFT AS STANDARDS 



(8) Crowfoot {Ranunculus acris, R.ficaria, B. hulhosus, and R. 

 repens), are all highly useful forage plants ; they inhabit damp 

 shady places ; they are not adapted for hay, but make excellent 

 pasture for cattle and sheep ; and cows fed upon pasture contain- 

 ing a mixture of these plants produce butter of a remarkable 

 rich nutritious quality, hence one of the names applied to the 

 plants — butter-cups. 



(9) Meadow sweet (Spircea Ulmaria) is another useful plant ; 

 it inhabits fiat, damp meadow ground, and is invaluable on soft 

 boggy places liable to be flooded during winter, where some of 

 the finer grasses perish. It is perfectly at home under the 

 shade of trees, makes excellent hay when mixed wdth any of 

 the natural grasses, but should always be cut when in full 

 flower, as the stem is apt to get hard and woody if allowed to 

 ripen. The green leaves and after grass are much relished by 

 stock of every kind. 



The above list includes the grasses and herbage really useful 

 on this class of soil ; of course, there are a great many worthless 

 plants — such as rushes, soft-grass, &c., mere weeds, and which 

 we need not describe. 



No. 5. — Stiff argillaceous or clayey soils are most suitable for 

 the healthy development of the oak as standards, and in cut- 

 ting down plantations it is by far the best tree to be left as such 

 on this class of soil ; and when allowed plenty of room it 

 becomes a grand tree in every sense of the word, and even 

 attains large dimensions on sti£f plastic clay inimical to the 

 growth of most other trees. 



In the mountainous part of county Wicklow, Ireland, as well 

 as the vale of Avoca, and Glennelly, in the same county, the oak 

 occupies the same place as the Scotch fir in the Highlands of 

 Scotland, being the natural wood of the country. 



The soil consists principally of inorganic matter, clay, and 

 gravel, resting upon clay slate rock ; and the quality of timber 

 produced here may be equalled, but certainly cannot be surpassed. 



As an illustration of the influence which certain classes of 

 soil has upon trees and plants, I may mention that the poplar 

 here never attains the size of useful timber, even although 

 planted upon soil of considerable depth. At Glen-Art Castle, 

 the beautiful seat of the Earl of Carysfort, the writer stubbed 

 out a number of these trees that had failed to establish them- 

 selves. 



The following are the principal and most useful grasses and 

 herbage plants found to inhabit the oak plantations in this 

 locality : — 



1 . Catstail grass, .... Phleum pratense. 



2. Foxtail grass, .... Alopecurus 'pratensis. 



3. Bent grass, .... Agrostis setacea. 



