808 



THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. 



pastures. The bulk of herbage forced from them during warm damp 

 seasons tends greatly to their impoverishment, and some of the grasses 

 which are more especially adapted for dry soils will probably perish. 

 Well- drained land naturally suffers least. Land not so well drained 

 becomes sour and unwholesome, and only the sedges and coarse water- 

 grasses survive. The unsightly tussock grass, Aira caespitosa, which 

 frequentl}' infests heavy soils, should be chopped up by the roots, 

 carted into heaps, mixed with quicklime, and, when well rotted, spread 

 upon the land. 



" For destroying moss there is no better dressing than two cart-loads 

 of lime mixed with eight cart-loads of light loam per acre : pure lime 

 is too powerful to be applied alone. The heap should be turned 

 several 'times until the lime is thoroughly slaked and well incorporated 

 with the loam. After dragging the turf with heavy iron harrows, ten 

 cart-loads of the compost should be spread over each acre. There 

 will soon be a marked improvement, and a full return for the outlay. 

 The effect of dragging a pasture is not everywhere appreciated at its 

 full value. The mechanical action breaks up the congested surface, 

 allows the atmosphere to penetrate to the roots, and thus promotes a 

 free and healthy growth of the plants. It also enables the grasses to 

 absorb and derive benefit from any fertilising agent or compost which 

 may be applied to the surface, instead of allowing the dressing to be 

 in great part washed away by the first heavy rain." 



The species of plants that enter into the herbage of pastures are not 

 numerous. In the following table l are recorded all the species of 

 grasses, leguminous plants, and other herbage, which we found 

 growing upon eighty specimens of turf obtained from old grass lands 

 in twenty-eight English counties, six Welsh counties, eight Scottish 

 counties. iand eleven Irish counties. In the great majority of cases these 

 grass lands were rich old pastures, subject to continuous grazing and 

 never mown ; a few only were hayfields. The most abundant grass in 

 old pastures is rye-grass, and the most abundant leguminous plant is 

 white clover. Ranunculus, Cerastium, Plantago, and Rumex appear 

 to be the most frequently occurring weeds. 



Gramineous Species or Grasses Graminece. 



Botanical Name. 

 Agrostis alba, L. . 

 Agrostis alba var. stolonifera, L. 

 Agrostis vulgaris, With. 

 Alopecurus pratensis, L. . 

 Anthoxanthum odoratum, L. 

 Avena elatior, L. . . . 

 Avena flavescens, L. . . 

 Bromus moll is, L. 

 Cynosurus cristatus, L. 

 Dactylis glomerata, L. 

 Festuca loliacea, Huds. 

 Festuea ovina, L., et var. 

 Festuca pratensis, Huds. 

 Holcus lanatus, L. . 



Common Name. 

 Marsh bent grass 

 Florin 



Fine bent grass 

 Meadow foxtail 

 Sweet-scented vernal grass 

 False oat grass 

 Yellow oat grass 

 Soft brome grass 

 Dogstail 

 Rough cocksfoot 

 Spiked fescue 

 Sheep's fescue 

 Meadow fescue 

 Yorkshire fog, woolly soft grass 



1 From the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, 1 890. 



