ON THE CULTIVATED GRASSES 



long as it would recompense their labours, and afterwards letting it alone for some years 

 to recover under a crop of unsown grass, was of itself a perfect contradiction to their false 

 theory. 



As an approximation, however, to a more approved system, some recommended sowing, 

 for permanent pasture, seeds shaken out of the best natural meadow-hay, along with the 

 clovers ; without considering that, as the different species composing such hay did not 

 ripen their seeds simultaneously, only a partial reproduction of these species could be 

 expected. But the recommendations of Stillingfleet in 1759, and others immediately 

 thereafter, to cultivate certain of the most useful grasses, as the crested dog's-tail,* sweet 

 vernal,f meadow fox-tail,:}: meadow fescue, sheep's fescue,|| rough and smoothed-stalked 

 meadow-grasses, &c., by growing their seeds separately ; and the successful introduction 

 from America of the timothy and cocksfoot, directed the attention of practical agricul- 

 turists to a new source whence to procure a further accession to their hay and pasture 

 plants ; and likewise suggested to agricultural writers the expediency of adopting different 

 terms to distinguish between the clovers and true grasses. Accordingly we find that, 

 after that period, they generally denominate the former artificial grasses, and the latter 

 natural grasses. 



In 1761, Mr Aldworth, of Stanslake, collected, at the suggestion of Mr Stillingfleet, fully 

 a bushel of the seed of the Crested dog's-tail grass ; and that author mentions having 

 himself " procured a sufficiency of the same seed, as well as that of the creeping Bent,U 

 fine bent,** Sheep's fescue, &c., to begin a stock with." In the same year, the broad- 

 leaved Everlasting Pea, ft was grown by a gentleman who, in the " Museum Rusticum," 

 published in 1765, states that he then sowed a rood of it, " which yielded a great deal ot 

 feed much relished, both in a green and dried state, by horses and cattle." In 1766, a 

 prize of ^5 was awarded by the London Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manu- 

 factures, and Commerce to Mr \V. Judge, Woodford, Essex, " for gathering by the hand 

 the seeds of Meadow Fox-tail grass ;" as also ^5 and ^3, 33. to Mr E. Birch, Somerset, 

 and William Gosse, Hants, for collecting, in like manner, the seeds of crested dog's-tail 

 grass ; and in the following year Mr Gosse received two further premiums for gathering 

 seeds of the Meadow fescue and Sweet vernal grasses. The same Society, in 1768, 

 offered a premium of ^10 " for the greatest quantity of land (not less than one acre) of 

 vernal grass-seed, sown in drills;" and their gold medal was further offered, in 1769, "to 

 the person who should give the most satisfactory account of the different properties and 

 comparative value of any two or more of the several natural grasses." 



By earlier authors, Yarrow or MilfoilJJ was generally included among pernicious 

 weeds ; but a writer in the " De Re Rustica," published in 1769, strongly recommends the 

 sowing of it in sheep pastures. About 1780, Mr Boys, a farmer of high reputation in 

 Kent, commenced the culture of the Rough-stalked Meadow Grass ; having had, in 

 1785, from twenty to thirty bushels of its seed for sale, which he offered at 33. per pound ; 

 but was obliged to drop its culture from want of demand. Marshall, in his "Rural Economy 

 of Yorkshire," published in 1788, states, that " white or meadow soft grass," now better 

 known by the name of Yorkshire Pog,|| || " was formerly in high esteem, being cultivated 

 separately, and thrashed like corn for its seeds ; but it was far from being an eligible grass 

 for cultivation, the growers of the seed being the only persons who profit thereby, eighty 



* Cynosurus cristatus t Anthoxanthum ocloratum + Alopecurus pratensis Festuca pratensis 



y Festuca ovina 1T Agrostis alba ** Agrostis vulgaris t+ Lathyrus latifolius 



IJ Achillea Millefolium Poa trivialis || || Holcus lanatus 



