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ADVERTISEMENT TO 



be SO tedious and expensive as to prevent such trials, 

 especially if the results were doubtful. 



The labours of botanists, and the exertions of agri- 

 cultural societies and patriotic individuals in the 

 same cause, have raised a spirit of inquiry which 

 ultimately must produce beneficial effects on practical 

 agriculture. A hope of promoting these views, was 

 the motive that induced his Grace the Duke of 

 Bedford to institute the following series of expe- 

 riments : — 



Spots of ground, each containing four square feet, 

 in the garden at Woburn Abbey, were enclosed by 

 boards in such a manner, that there was no lateral 

 communication between the earth enclosed by the 

 boards and that of the garden ; the soil was removed 

 in these enclosures, and new soils supplied, or mix- 

 tures of soils were made in them, to furnish as far as 

 possible to the different grasses those soils which 

 seemed most favourable to their growth ; a few varie- 

 ties being adopted, for the purpose of ascertaining 

 the effects of different soils on the same plant. The 

 nature of these soils was accurately ascertained by 

 analysis ; the process employed, w^as that recom- 

 mended by Sir H. Davy. Upw^ards of two hundred 

 species and varieties of grass were planted or 

 sown at the proper seasons ; the different species 

 were cut at certain stages of growth, and the weight 

 of produce carefully ascertained ; the particular 

 seasons at which the different species attained to the 

 greatest degree of perfection, were attentively ob- 

 served, as likewise the time of flowering, and the 

 period of perfecting the seed. Their comparative 



