638 



G R A 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL.; 



G R A 



with their seeds, and in due time may afford the most valu- 

 able pasture. But if bad kinds of grasses should abound in 

 the neighbourhood more tliau the good, tJie field will natu- 

 rally become tilled with the seeds of these useless plants, 

 many of which are hard and abiding-; so that if the field be 

 once filled with them, the pasture will of course be of little 

 value, if it sluxild be allowed to remain undisturbed for any 

 length of time. Let the reader therefore consider, how nu- 

 merous the circumstances are, that must accidentally concur 

 together, before it is possible to receive a very fine field of 

 pasture un>?s from the hands of nature alone; he will then 

 perceive- how improbable it is, that they should concur to 

 produce their full tiled in any one 6e!d whatever. There 

 must be no roots of bad grasses, nor seeds of robust annuals, 

 in the soil, \vheu it is left out from tillage; and the seeds of' 

 the roost valuable kind i of grasses must be in the neighbour- 

 hood, in such abundance as to fill tlie whole world sufficiently 

 at once. Nor is this all, for as there is, no doubt, a consi- 

 derable variety of valuable kinds of grass, some of which are 

 naturally fitted to grow to perfection in one kind of soil, or 

 upon that soil when in certain circumstances, while others 

 would thrive best upon another soil, or upo.u that soil only 

 in certain peculiar circumstances ; it must so happen, that 

 these very plants which are best adapted to the soil in the 

 state it may be in at the time, should be found in abundance 

 in the neighbourhood of the field. Neither must there be 

 found near that any sort, of robust quick-growing plant, the 

 seeds of which, by being blown upon that field, might sud- 

 denly rush up and suli'ocate in their infancy these tender and 

 valuable plants; nor must there be found any kinds of bad 

 grass, that, by being established along willi the good in any 

 proportion, might tend, to diminish the value of the pasture. 

 Now let anyone reflect on the infinite diversity these few 

 particulars may admit of, and think how utterly impossible 

 it is, that all the favourable circumstances, without any that 

 are unfavourable, should concur in any one case; and he 

 will acknowledge, that those who found their hope of obtain- 

 ing the most valuable pastures only upon the fortuitous con- 

 currence of all these circumstances, or who imagine that 

 every pasture which is old must on that account of necessity 

 be good, act in direct contradiction to the plainest dictates 

 of reason and common sense. For although it should be 

 allowed, that the grasses hitherto cultivated are not of the 

 most proper sort for forming good pastures, and that there- 

 fore, on some occasions, much better natural pastures may 

 be met with than could be formed by means of any of these ; 

 yet it by no means follows from thence, that if the farmer 

 were perfectly acquainted with the value and distinguishing 

 qualities of each kind of natural grass, and knew the soil 

 and culture that best agreed with it, the most advantageous 

 manner of rearing it, and every other particular relative to 

 its respective economy, he might not perhaps have it in his 

 power to form artificial pastures, as much excelling the natu- 

 ral, as these last at present usually exceed the former; for 

 were he possessed of the knowledge above supposed, he 

 could at once fill the soil with the seeds of those valuable 

 grasses, which he knew were best adapted to it, and thus 

 effectually exclude the admission of every useless plant, or 

 pernicious kind of grass, that might be brought from the 

 neighbouring fields by the wind, or by other accidental 

 causes. Let us, therefore, instead of contenting ourselves on 

 all occasions with such pastures or grass lands as nature may 

 afford, rather study to improve those that are indifferent, by 

 endeavouring to obtain a knowledge of such plants as might 

 afford the most valuable pasture, and cultivating these with 

 assiduity and care. The inattention of the improving far- 



mers of Great Britain, to. this subject, has been unaccount- 

 able, lu order to prevent the public from being imposed, 

 upon by specious accounts of new grasses, it is neceaMMJI 

 strenuously to endeavour to discover what are the particular 

 purposes for which any one plant could be deemed valuable, 

 and in what respects it ceases to be of any value at all : for 

 as there is no plant that can be alike useful. on all occasions, 

 if we lose sight of this most necessary distinction, it may 

 often lead us to rear a particular plant for purposes which it 

 was never tilted to answer ; and our failure may cause it to 

 be rejected, where it might prove extremely proper and be- 

 neficial. It U stated, that Kay-grass contiuwes to be the only 

 grass, the seeds of which can be purchased, f6r the purpose of 

 laying down meadow and pasture land : and every intelligent 

 fanner knows how inadequate that grass is for such, a purpose. 

 Why, indeed, the Lolium Perenne, Ray or Rye Grass, should 

 originally have been made use of in preference to all the 

 other grasses, cauuot perliaps be satisfactorily accounted 

 For. It probably owes its introduction to accident, or to its 

 being a common grass, the seeds of which were easily cok 

 lected, rather than to its being preferred from any investiga^ 

 tion of its merits, compared with the others, However this 

 may be, there appears to be no reason for excluding the 

 others ; for it would appear exceedingly improbable, that of up- 

 wards of a hundred grasses, takiwg the word grass in its strict 

 sense, that are growing wild in, this country, the< Author of na- 

 ture should have created only one, as suitable to be cultivated 

 for pasturage or fodder. Since this period, however, most of 

 the natural grasses have been cultivated fur the purpose of 

 affording seed, which may be procured I genuine from many 

 seedsmen iu most places. Taking it for granted then, that 

 there are other grasses superior in many respects rto.tha Ray- 

 grass, this question naturally arises: How comes it, that 

 they have not found their way into general use ? To this it 

 may be replied, that improvements in any science, especially 

 in agriculture, are slow in their advances ; and perhaps no 

 class of men adheres more pertinaciously to old prejudices, 

 than that respectable class of invaluable men, the farmers. 

 The difficulty of distinguishing the grasses from each other, 

 has, no doubt, been one grand obstacle : many of these 

 plants are so much alike, that the most discriminating bota- 

 nist is often at a loss to know some of them apart : there is 

 also another cause, which may have operated against their 

 introduction : grasses, as well as other plants, have been fre- 

 quently recommended from a partial and limited observation 

 of them, by persons who neither knew them well, as botanists 

 or agriculturists, or who have recommended them merely to 

 gain by the credulity of the public. But perhaps the chief 

 reason has been, that persons, who might be expected to 

 make the improvements, have not enjoyed the means of mak- 

 ing the experiment, owing to the difficulty of obtaining such 

 sorts of grass seeds as may be most suitable for the purpose. 

 It appears, however, that in the herbage of good mendows or 

 grass lands, there should be a combination of produce, bate- 

 ableness or feeding, and early growth. The first is, in moat 

 cases, the grand object of the agriculturist, since it is the 

 quantity chiefly which enables him to pay his rent, and sup- 

 port his cattle : to obtain this, the judicious husbandman 

 spares no expense in labour or manure. But it does not fol-; 

 low, that produce is to be attended to solely, or that, for it& 

 sake, we are to cultivate rough Cock'-foot Grass, Meadow-, 

 sweet, and such coarse plants. Grasses which are recom- 

 mended for being remarkably grateful to cattle, as the Sheep's 

 Fescue-grass, or for the sweetness of their, foliage merely, if 

 found to be deficient in the grand article of produce, will 

 never answer the farmer or grazier's purpose, since, to be a 



