50J A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



bistorta) ; cinquefoil, (potentilla reptans) ; meadow rue, (thalic- 

 trum flavum) ; valerian, (valcriana officinalis] ; orchis, several 

 species, of great beauty ; meadow boot, (cultha palustris) ; ladies' 

 mantle, (alchemilla vulgaris) ; eyeb right, (euphrasia officinalis, 

 and o'dontites) ; veronica, several species ; white saxifrage, (saxi- 

 fraga granulata). The fritillary, (fritillaria meleagris), adorns 

 in great profusion some meadows in the parish of Wheaton Aston, 

 and a meadow near Wolseley Bridge, on the road to Stafford. 



The pilewort (ranunculus ficaria), is one of the earliest flowers 

 in grass-land, pushing out its yellow flowers in April ; the water 

 avens (geum ribale), grows in the meadows near Shenstone, 

 and shows an elegant flower in June ; the purging flax, (linum 

 catharticum) , and lesser centory, (chironia centaurium), are common 

 in dry pastures; the restharrow, (ononis arvensis}, is a produc- 

 tive plant, but rather to be extirpated than encouraged, though 

 cattle eat it well when young. The roots of it are troublesome 

 in arable land, being strong, and almost stopping the plough. 

 The hogweed or cow parsnip, (heracleiim sphondylium) , though a 

 coarse and weed-like plant, is common in pastures and hedge-sides, 

 and well eaten by cattle when young. If this plant had the advant- 

 age of culture, it would bear cutting two or three .times in the 

 season, for hogs and cattle. 



Artificial Grasses. The grass-seeds generally sown for laying 

 land to pasture are, red and white clover, trefoil, and ray grass ; 

 of the three former mixed, from 10 to 201bs. per acre> and of the 

 latter from a peck to half a bushel. The meadow or cow-clover is 

 professed to be sold by seedsmen as having the perennial quality of 

 continuing in the land. The natural grasses before-mentioned 

 being in appearance superior to ray grass, it were much to be wished 

 that a more general trial should be made of the best of them, by 

 collecting their seeds for cultivation. The cock's-foot (dactylis 

 glomerata) is much cultivated by Mr. Coke,at Holkham, and strongly 

 recommended by that eminent agriculturist, for the laying down of 

 land instead of ray grass. 



A great variety of grasses, and other agricultural seeds, ^were^a 

 few years ago (and perhaps still), professed to be sold by Gibbs 

 and Co. of Half-moon-street, Piccadilly, London. The writer has 

 had some experience of the following : 



Burnet, (poterium sanguisorba) ; hardy, and strictly perennial ; 

 cows prefer it to clover, but it is less productive : it is a very diffe- 

 rent plant to the meadow-burnet, being a native of calcareous soils, 



