GRASS LANDS. 23 



soil : the meadow poa (p. pratensis), and the rough 

 stalked poa (p. trivialis), when found, are dwarfish ; 

 and having once occasion for a few specimens of the 

 foxtail (alopecurus pratensis), I found it a scarce 

 and a local plant : but I am convinced, from much 

 observation, that certain species of plants, and 

 grasses in particular, are indigenous to some soils, 

 and that they will vegetate and ultimately pre- 

 dominate over others that may be introduced. In 

 my own very small practice, a field of exceedingly 

 indifferent herbage was broken up, underwent 

 many ploughings, was exposed to the roastings of 

 successive suns, and alternations of the year under 

 various crops ; amongst others that of potatoes ; 

 the requisite hackings, hoeings, and diggings of 

 which alone were sufficient to eradicate any original 

 fibrous, rooted herbage. This field was laid down 

 with clean ray grass (lolium perenne), white tre- 

 foil, and hop clover, and did tolerably well for one 

 year : and then the original soft-grass, (holcus la- 

 natus) appeared, overpowered the crop, and re- 

 possessed the field ; and yet the seed of this holcus 

 could not have lain inert in the soil all this time, 

 as it is a grass that rarely or never perfects its seed, 

 but propagates by its root. The only grass that is 

 purposely sown trefoils are not grasses is, I 

 believe, the ray, or rye, no others being obtainable 

 from the seedsman : this we consider as perennial ; 

 yet, let us lay down two pieces of land with seeds, 



