Notices for a Young Farmer. xxi 



appears to be native, though not peculiar to this country ; 

 and it must, according to general experience, grow sponta- 

 neously. 



Plants spring up in soils in which they are indigenous, 

 without previous seeding. The experiment of cleaning by til- 

 lage, and meliorating by manure, worn lands, and suffering 

 them to throw up grasses spontaneously, has decisively suc- 

 ceeded, so as to ensure valuable crops of the appropriate 

 kinds ; which finally establish themselves, after contending 

 with intruders for a time. fVMtc clover seems most univer- 

 sally native ; but this grows better in some, than in other 

 soils. 



Those who do not attend to the laws of nature in this 

 regard, suppose that they can, with plenty of manure, force 

 plants in any soil : but this is a great mistake. Gorging land 

 with dung, for any product, is expensively ruinous. There 

 is no surer mode of first deteriorating, and finally destroying, 

 any plant out of its natural soil, than that of lavishly dung- 

 ing it. And this misapplied extravagance, is injurious to 

 plants either of rich or poor soils. The latter are, however, 

 the soonest killed by high dunging. 



Yet, take it for all in all, changing crops, or what is 

 called convertible husbandry, in which grass, for a reasona- 

 ble period, is only pact of the rotation, will be found the most 

 suitable to. the circumstances of our country : save in such 

 grounds in which the plough cannot be fitly introduced ; and 

 are from their nature and situation peculiarly calculated for 

 grass. For many such soils, those particularly which are 

 boggy and wet, it would be unpardonable not to mention the 

 Jgrostls stolonifera, or Fiorin grass ; by means whereof won- 

 derful improvements might be introduced, in soils fit for no 

 other crop. Its reputation is now so completely established 

 in Great Britain and Ireland, that objections to its culture 

 have been entirely overcome. Failures, in England, have 

 occurred, from want of care in cultivating the true species : 

 and thus bringing its character into disrepute. The agrostis 

 vulgaris, has been used, instead of the .s tolo n ifr ra ; than which 



