CHAPTER IV 



GRASSLAND ASSOCIATIONS 



Distribution of the grassland. Types of grassland. I. Grassland of the 

 sandstones and shales: siliceous grassland; (1) Nardus grassland; 

 mixed siliceous grassland ; (2) Molinia grassland. Relationships of 

 the plant associations of the siliceous soils. II. Grassland of 

 the Limestone : calcareous grassland : mixed calcareous grassland ; 

 transitional calcareous grassland. Calcareous heath. Pseudo-cal- 

 careous heaths. Species of the calcareous grassland and the siliceous 

 grassland. Relationships of the plant associations of the siliceous 

 and the calcareous soils. 



Distribution of the Grassland 



As is the case with woodland and scrub, grassland occurs, in 

 general, on the slopes of the hills. Where the hill-slopes below 

 about 1500 feet (457 m.) are not cultivated and not occupied 

 with woodland or scrub, there natural or uncultivated grassland 

 prevails. The cultivated grassland or permanent pasture is 

 dealt with in Chapter VIII. On the whole, natural grassland 

 is more extensive on the limestones than on the sandstones 

 and shales; and, with regard to the non-calcareous soils, it is, 

 in proportion to their extent, much more extensive on the shales 

 than on the sandstones. 



At the present time, although grassland ascends to higher 

 altitudes than the woodland, it is rather rare at altitudes above 

 the present limit of scrub. It is highly probable that almost 

 all the present grassland — both natural and cultivated — was 

 once wooded, and that even now it is almost all capable of being 

 successfully reafforested (see Chapter VIII). 



