254 HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 



Mr. Greg, to whom the agricultural world is much indebted, 

 and particularly for his new and excellent system of managing 

 heavy soils, observes,* that " the soil of a great proportion of the 

 old pastures of the United Kingdom is favourable to the growth 

 of grass, and might be broken up and returned to its former 

 state ; but there appears to be no advantage in so doing, as good 

 grazing grounds are more productive than they could be under the 

 best temporary arable system. In regard to those pasture lands, 

 the soil of which is not naturally congenial to grass, it has been 

 found the height of imprudence to break them up ; for experience 

 shews, that all the art and industry of man, when unassisted 

 by nature, can do very little to return them to as good a 

 quality of pasture as before they were broken up. Loams are 

 the most congenial to grass ; and every description of tenacious 

 soil is unsuitable to the growth of those grasses which are best 

 adapted to grazing grounds. The grass grounds about London, 

 and in general those close to a farm-house in arable districts, are 

 artificial ; they are reversed from three to five inches below the sur- 

 face, but the subsoil is a tenacious clay. With a spade the quality 

 of the subsoil may be ascertained, and the possibility of recon- 

 verting the land into pasture may be determined. The only in- 

 ducement to break up old pastures, even on a soil congenial to 

 grass, would be to change the kind of grass. Nothing could 

 prevail on me to do it on a tenacious soil, unless I intended to 

 keep the land arable." 



I have witnessed the results of several experiments on different 

 grasses, on a large scale, conducted by Mr. Wilson on the farms 

 of the Duke of Bedford, at Woburn. In one instance, a field 

 containing twenty^five acres of old pasture land, where it was 

 desirable to change the quality of the grass, was converted into 

 tillage for eight years : the crops of grain during that time were 

 most luxuriant. The following grass-seeds were then sown : Mea- 

 dow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), roughed-stalked meadow-grass 

 (Poa trivialis), meadow-fescue (Festuca pratensis), tall oat-like 

 soft-grass (Holcus avenaceus), cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), 

 meadow cat's-tail (Phleum pratense), rye^grass (Lolium perenne), 

 cow-grass or red clover (TrifoUum medium), and white or Dutch 



* In one of the many valuable communications for which I am indebted to his 

 kindness. 



