622 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



From the porous nature of the subsoil of the Cot- 

 teswolds — or elsewhere under similar circumstances of 

 pervious stonebraslies — irrigation is of great value. 



Indeed, it is only practicable in such situations, 

 because the water can readily percolate through the soil ; 

 whilst on the clays of the vale of Gloucester (being 

 impervious) it would remain stagnant. 



Here, then, robbing the Cotteswolds of this means of 

 fertilization would do serious damage ; whilst taking the 

 waters from the vale clays would be doing good. 



As irrigation is being practised to an increased extent 

 every year, and as the amount of produce is more than 

 quadrupled thereby, it would be serious to take away 

 this means of improvement, more especially as the 

 present amount of water is scarcely sufficient for resi- 

 dential and agricultural requirements. 



On referring to our table of the positions occupied 

 by different species of grasses, it will be found that 

 we have still to mention those which occupy or would 

 be suitable for the following positions : 



5. Grass glades. 



6. Covert. 



7. Lawn. 



5. Grass Glades. — These are such as will usually be 

 found to occupy positions such as the glades or rides 

 between trees in parks or under plantations, where they 

 are for the most part subject to a great amount of shade, 

 and are besides affected by the periodical droppings 

 from the trees, botii of the leaves, which act as a manure, 

 and the drip from the branches, which with the shadow 

 instead of sunshine keeps up a continual state of damp- 

 ness. 



Such glades, however broad, are seldom of great value 

 for pasture, for besides the circumstance that the best 

 grasses require the more open parts of the meadow, the 

 drip of trees is decidedly obnoxious to the finer kinds 

 of herbage, as all must have observed ; even in meadows 

 much crowded by tall hedge-rows with high trees, and 

 near clumps of trees, the grasses are mostly of a poor 

 description. 



If we look at the list of grasses which are the most 

 common in green glades, we shall be enabled to divide 

 them into two groups as follows: 



a. Good grasses. 



Lolium pereune — Sparsely diatribated. 



Dactylis glomerata — Usually iu tufts. 



Poa pratensis , 1 Mixed in matted 



Festuca oviiia J turf. 



h. Poor grasses. 



Poa nenioralis "1 Mixed in the turf in lime- 



Bromus erectus J etone districts. 



Arrhenatherura avenaceura — la more or less large buuches. 



The first four species are such as commonly occur in 

 tolerably good pastures. Though the sheep's-fescue 

 (F. ovina) is perhaps partial to uplands, yet its other 

 choice is beneath trees, where, if by itself, it always ob- 

 serves the tuft or jungle mode of growth. 



The Poa nemoralis in the second division is worthy 

 of note in laying down permanent pasture in glades, as 

 it is a finer kind of grass, and so does well to mix with 

 the coarser to fill up— a matter of some consequence in 

 glades, as, from the absence of sunlight, grasses are com- 



paratively shy in flowering, and so the hay crop is always 

 light and scanty, from the absence of flowering culms. 



6. Covert. — Of grasses peculiar to such a position 

 our list of native species is exceedingly small, including 

 indeed only two : 



Bromus asper, and 

 Brachypodium sylvaticum. 



Of these the first is a tall grass, which produces a 

 quantity of tolerably weighty seeds. The second is 

 short; but its seeds, like the former, are no unimportant 

 matter, as, from their size, they are much relished 

 by pheasants ; so that these forms are to be encouraged, 

 as the taller one and the shorter, growing as they do 

 together, form not only a high but a close jungle, of great 

 importance in such a position. 



Another grass common to wood is the Aira-cces- 

 pilosa, but this is only present in swampy places. 

 Within the last few years a most magnificent grass has 

 been cultivated in this country, in the Gyntrium argen- 

 teuM — the pampas grass — which grows sev eral feet 

 high. This has been highly extolled for covert, and if 

 it can become naturalized in our woods, it will indeed 

 shelter game better than even underwood, but we advise 

 the sportsman to be wary of its flags crossing his 

 naked hands or face, for they have such fine hard ser- 

 rated edges that they make wounds which are most 

 painful and difficult to heal. 



7. Lawn Grasses. — Even to the practical agricul- 

 turist the patches of lawn and park turf, which is no- 

 where so fresh and green and smooth as in Old England, 

 are not uninviting. For such positions, species which 

 possess the following qualifications are especially 

 adapted : 



Fineness of herbage, as opposed to roughness and 



coarseness. 

 Capabilities of well mixing, to form an equable 



matted turf. 

 A constitution to bear repeated clippings or cuttings 



without dying out. 



All grasses or other plants that grow separately or 

 bunchy are to be discouraged ; indeed, in perfect lawn, 

 plants, other than grasses — as plantains, daisies, and 

 buttercups — are *o be especially rooted out. 



If with these requisites we can procure species that 

 delight in poveity, so much the better, and certainly 

 the following list is such as will bear great vicissitudes 

 in this respect, namely 



Lolium perenne "1 smaller in poor than rich soils. 



roa pratensis J ^ 



Festuca ovina 



,, ,, var dariuscula 



Cynosurus cristatus — Very small with constant 



clipping 



Why grasses which can bear poverty should be 

 chosen will be evident, when we consider the constant 

 drain there is upon the soil in the oft-repeated mowings 

 to which turf must be subject, where it is at all kept in 

 proper order. 



As regards the keeping of lawn in good condition, we 

 may here be permitted to say that an important requi- 

 site is that of very frequent mowing in the growing 

 months of the year, as otherwise it runs to culms and 



