No. 149.1 247 



it is preferred by cattle to any of the common sorts, a fact which 

 has been proved by experiments in various parts of the country; 

 and the rapidity with which it again shoots forth, after having 

 been mown or fed off, renders it particularly advantageous for 

 light soils, as the common rye grass never sends forth a second 

 crop, either for feed or seed, of any consequence. In poor land 

 it may be safely sown with clover, as it has been on the Con- 

 tinent, to the great increase of the crop and benefit of the quan- 

 tity of the hay." Sir J. Sinclair, one of the greatest scientific 

 and practical farmers of his day, says of it (Italian rye grass) : 

 " It is a matter of astonishment it should not have been long aga 

 introduced into this country, (England,) and cultivated on an 

 extensive scale. If sown in autumn, after a crop of potatoes 

 and other roots, it produces a crop next spring fit to be cut for 

 soiling cattle, 8 days earlier than lucern, and a fortnight before 

 red clover. Care must be taken, however, to have good seed — 

 the Italian^ and no other variety — and not to sow it too deep. It 

 produces two excellent crops in one year, the first of which 

 should be cut as soon as it comes into flower, and the second will 

 produce a considerable quantity of seed. From its early growth 

 in spring, when other articles for feeding stock with advantage 

 are so difficult to be obtained, it is likely to become a valuable 

 acquisition to British husbandry." These authorities are cited 

 to show the reputation of the grass in England, and whether our 

 farmers would think it an object of cultivation here. Donaldson, 

 one of the latest writers on the grasses, says : " Its durable quality 

 remains to be proved, and, like other foreign productions that are 

 cultivated in our latitude, it may soon become acclimated and re- 

 duced to the standard of fertility that is fixed by soil and climate, 

 and ordinary cultivation." If it grows so well and is s:;? popular on 

 the continent, especially France and Italy, we should think it would 

 suit our soil and climate better than those of England, and that 

 it would become acclimated sooner here than in the latter place. 

 Whether it has been tried to any extent among us or at all, we 

 cannot tell. Jls to barn yard manure for the grasses^ this is one of 

 the best, and under all circumstances the very best for our far- 

 mers for all crops and for their land generally, there are perhaps 

 many artificial and special manui-es which exceed it in strength 



