68 Hortits Gramineus Woburnensis. 



Britain, and most of the small islands and sea-coasts of the 

 temperate parts of both hemispheres, of the latter description. 

 The prevailing grasses in Italy are perennials; but though 

 the Romans improved their meadows and pastures by draining 

 and manuring, it does not appear that they were in the practice 

 of sowing any of the pasture grasses, though they were assi- 

 duous in their cultivation of lucern, clover, and other legumi- 

 nous herbage plants. 



It was not till about the middle of the 1 7th century, as 

 we have elsewhere stated {Encyc. of Agr. § 5087.), that the 

 culture of grasses for pasture and hay took place in England, 

 and it is remarkable that the species first fixed upon is still 

 considered the best for the purpose to whicli it was applied. 

 We allude to the rye -grass, as a hay-grass for one crop. 



The names of Eustace, Rocque, Stillingfleet, Anderson, 

 Svvayne, and Curtis bring down the history of grasses to the 

 time of John, Duke of Bedford, and Mr. Sinclair. Of the 

 unwearied labours of the latter for the greater part of the 

 seventeen years he resided at Woburn, this very interesting 

 volume is the result ; and there can be no doubt it will serve 

 to spread and perpetuate the improved mode of sowing lands 

 for permanent pasture suggested, and to a certain extent com- 

 menced, by Stillingfleet, and which has since been gradually 

 gaining ground among scientific agriculturists. 



It is hardly possible to do justice to the author of a work 

 of so much scientific research and careful experiment as the 

 Hortus Gramineus. The labour of preparing it for the press, 

 considerable as it must have been, is nothing when compared 

 with the nice manipulation, the care and pains, and long con- 

 tinued application, that must have been necessary to conduct 

 such an immense number of experiments, and to conduct 

 them in such a manner as to obtain the approbation of Sir 

 H. Davy. Sanctioned by this chemist, they may be con- 

 sidered as decisive; and, thei'efore, as far as the science of 

 grasses can be advanced, and their culture improved from such 

 experiments, those of Mr. Sinclair may be referred to with 

 confidence, and need never be repeated. 



To pursue the improvement of grasses farther, the next 

 thing would be to try a field of each of the best sorts on differ- 

 ent soils and in different climates, carefully comparing the 

 results on a, large, as Mr. Sinclair has done on a small scale. 

 Another road to improvement, which might be tried, is the 

 effects of cross fecundation on particular species and varieties, 

 in Mr. Knight's manner. We should like to hear of some 

 spirited individuals in different parts of the country, — say in 



