PROF. BREWER'S LECTURE. 11 



added as often as it can be had, the hay seed from the man- 

 gers often sown on so that should there be little gaps unoccu- 

 pied they may be seeded, until now we find the fine texture 

 spoken of. Sometimes such pastures seem to the western 

 farmer poor compared with the ranker herbage of his newly 

 seeded fields at home, but if we compare by the results pro- 

 duced rather than by the height of the grass, their true value 

 will be seen. In his own newer pastures the grass may be 

 higher but it does not so completely cover the ground, there 

 are not so many blades or leaves, nor is there that variety of 

 kinds which makes a more nutritious as well as more palata- 

 ble forage, and which produces the richest results. On the 

 low and fertile lands of Holland, we may have a more abun- 

 dant produce, but the excellency depends upon the same 

 features. 



I have alluded several times to the final occupation of the 

 soil by those plants just suited to its chemical and mechanical 

 composition. Here we have an important hint for the im- 

 provement of pastures. If the desired kinds of grass do not 

 grow well, it is because the soil is not right (always assuming 

 that the climate is good), that is, the soil and plants are not 

 well adapted to each other. We all know that if we wish an 

 especially fine turf for a lawn, we must " sod " it with the 

 old sod of the vicinity, we take the sod from some spot where 

 for years the grasses and the soil have been adapting them- 

 selves to each other. If ever we change the character of the 

 soil we change the character of the grasses produced. 



I saw, in England, a most instructive illustration of this. 

 A beautiful lawn, adjoining an old mansion, had lain undis- 

 turbed by plow or spade for at least 400 years, and possibly 

 longer, and for centuries had been carefully attended. It 

 seemed even and firm as velvet, and was a beautiful sample 

 of such an old turf. A portion of this was taken for experi- 

 ment, and was staked out into small plots, and on each of 

 these portions some kind of manure was applied. On one 

 compost was used, on another guano, another was manured 

 with crushed bones, or super-phosphate, or nitrates, or salts 

 of ammonia, or mixtures of several kinds, and so on for quite 



