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CHAPTER IV. 



AGRICULTURAL GRASSES. 



The importance of grasses as food for cattle is only 

 second to their importance as food for man, and agricul- 

 turists have been awakened at length to the necessity of 

 intelligent care in their cultivation. Mr. Lawson, of 

 Edinburgh, was one of the first of the distinguished seeds- 

 men who gave earnest study to the subject. He asserts 

 that grasses were first cultivated in England in the seven- 

 teenth century, but that Scotland and Ireland were a 

 century later in turning attention to the subject. In 

 the first stage of this science the plan adopted was to 

 collect the seeds shaken out of the best hay crops, and 

 sow the new pastures with that ; and Stillingfleet has 

 the credit of being the first to select approved species 

 for seed. As soon as this plan of selection came into 

 operation, agricultural grasses were considered under 

 two heads : — 1st, Natural grasses, or those w T hich were 

 planted by nature ; and 2nd, Artificial grasses, or those 

 introduced into the pastures by the agency of man. 



The value of natural pastures has been acknowledged 

 as long as agriculture, even in its humblest forms, has 

 been practised. Poets sing their praises, statesmen 



