On Natural Grasses. 85, 



Water of absorption, - 55 



Fine sand, partly siliceous and partly aluminous, 148 



Decomposing vegetable matter, 38 



Oxide of iron, 40 



Carbonate of lime, or chalk, 



Soluble vegetable and saline matters, 6 



Alumina, or pure matter of clay, 34 

 Silex, or pure earth of flints, in an impalpable state, - 65 



Loss of products in the analysis, - 14* 



400 



The natural produce of this pasture consisted of Festuca pratensis, 

 Festuca duriuscnla, Alopecurus pratensis, Dactylis glomerata, 

 Bromus mollis, Poa trivialis, Cynosurus cristatus, Festuca rubra, 

 Agrostisstoloniferavar. latifolia, Loliumperenne var. Russellianum, 

 L. p. var. compositum, Trifolium pratense perenne, Trifolium re~ 

 pens, Phleum pratense, Achillea millefolium, Anthoxanthum odora- 

 turn, with a small portion of Rumex acetosa, Bellis perennis, and 

 Stellaria graminea. 



We shall now state the composition of sandy and of down pastures, 

 Festuca ovina, duriuscula, dumetorum, glaucn, cambrica, bromoides, 

 Agrostis canina, vulgaris, Avena pubescens,Jlavescens, Aira flexuosa, 

 Alopecurus alpinus, Poa pratensis, compressa, rigida, Bromus mol- 

 lis, Holcus mollis, with more or less of Dactylis glomerata, Lolium 

 perenne, Cynosurus cristatus, Avena jlavescens, Phleum pratense 

 minor, and Bromus erectus. Of the clover tribe, there are the Trifo- 

 lium pratense perenne, repens, Medicago lupulina, Lotus cornicidatus, 

 and Hedysarum onobrychis, with numerous other species, but which 

 occur either locally, or in too small a proportion to render them worthy 

 of farther remark in these pages. 



The grasses which compose the produce of the best water meadows, 

 are all those which are found in the richest natural pastures already 

 enumerated. 



Pastures formed of rye-grass and clover, on a superior soil, afforded on- 

 ly 75 plants to each square foot. The superior rich permanent pasture, 

 which was shewn to consist of twenty-two different species of plants, 

 and the number of plants on a square foot proved to be 1090. The 

 like space of an irrigated meadow of the best quality shewed a density 

 of 1798 individual plants. To those who are accustomed to consider 

 as necessary, only one or two species of grass, as rye-grass and clover, 

 the fact of twenty different species, and that of one thousand indivi- 

 dual plants of these, being the number and proportion required by 

 nature to form a permanent pasture of the best quality, would scarcely 

 appear credible unless they were thus proved, and easily, and which 

 can, at any time, be demonstrated by any one, who will employ the 

 simple means required for that purpose. 



No. 2 The Natural Habits and comparative Value of different 

 Species of Grasses. 



Anthoxanthum odoralum, Sweet-scented vernal grass, ffort, 



k 



