M— AGRICULTURE 259 



white clover as rapidly as possible — this is the combined function of light 

 (keeping the Italian rye-grass in reasonable subjection), the treading feet 

 and the urine. 



The so-called indigenous strains ! Badly called, and I am afraid that 

 I have been largely responsible. In the few words I have to say on this 

 subject I will confine myself to the Aberystwyth bred strains, for here at 

 least I am talking about something definite and about which I myself at 

 all events may be supposed to know something. For the sake of brevity 

 I will lump the findings of all our experiments, and of all my own experi- 

 ences, and those of my colleagues, into a single short paragraph. 



For the ordinary three-year hay-pasture ley on medium-good soil, 

 postulating the inclusion of wild white clover and good urination, the 

 Aberystwyth pasture and pasture-hay strains are by no means an 

 absolute necessity, but in reasonable amount -(say up to about one- 

 fifth to one-third of the rye-grass, cocksfoot and timothy contribution) 

 I recommend their inclusion for the sake of the extra back-end grazing 

 they will give, and to add leafiness to the hay crop. For leys of four 

 years and longer duration, I believe a contribution of Aberystwyth 

 pasture or pasture-hay strains of not less than one-third of the con- 

 tribution of rye-grass, cocksfoot and timothy always to be justified. 

 On really poor soils and for re-grassing derelict grasslands there can be 

 no question as to the absolute necessity of including the pasture and 

 pasture-hay strains. On our Cahn Hill lands, and elsewhere, we have 

 made quite remarkable swards by using such strains wholly, or up to 

 two-thirds of the mixture, where with the non-pedigree bred strains it 

 has been impossible to establish a sward capable of maintaining itself 

 for more than twelve months. You will note I have talked explicitly of 

 the Aberystwyth pasture and pasture-hay strains. We have now early 

 hay strains coming on such as Dr. Jenkin's S. 24 perennial rye-grass, 

 his S. 51 timothy, and my own somewhat modified S. 37 cocksfoot, which 

 will I think vie with the ordinary seed of commerce in earliness and bulk 

 during the first and second harvest years, and which are much more 

 leafy. The matter here will turn almost wholly on the relative cost of 

 the pedigree and non-pedigree seed, for manifestly an expenditure on 

 seed that would be abundantly justified for a four- to twelve-year ley 

 might not be an economic proposition for a one-, two-, or three-year ley. 

 If, however, the hay strains ultimately prove themselves to have sufficient 

 virtue they are bound in due time to replace the ordinary commercial 

 strains, and in fact by a process of substitution to become in effect the 

 ordinary commercial product. This I think will be the destiny anyway 

 of Dr. Jenkin's S. 24 rye-grass, for as well as being early and relatively 

 leafy it gives much better July-August grazing than the ordinary Irish 

 and Ayrshire rye-grass. 



In this matter of the Aberystwyth strains, however — such is the deeply 

 penetrating influence of psychological factors — I can have no cause for 

 complaint if you deem it well to regard me as a prejudiced witness, but 

 if you so regard me, please yourselves be sufficiently broad-minded to 

 come and see our trials, or go and have a look at one of those which with 

 the help of the Royal Agricultural Society we are setting up in various 



