54 Young on Various Grasses and 



observing the herbage of some fields he possesses, and 

 which are remarkable for fattening sheep, are composed 

 almost entirely of crested dogstail and ryegrass, and a 

 small quantity of white clover. Young thus concludes 

 his remarks on crested dogstail : — 



" Authorities in favour of this grass might be greatly multi- 

 plied, but I do not give them, as only one writer has said 

 anything against it, and that is sufficiently answered by its 

 being found in great quantities in the most famous grazing 

 lands in the kingdom." 



Taking into consideration the controversy about rye- 

 grass that has raged in recent years, Young's remarks 

 on cocksfoot are very interesting. Sir Mordaunt Martin, 

 he tells us, found this grass much more profitable than 

 ryegrass. It grew in midsummer when everything else 

 was burnt up. It was cultivated in Norfolk and Suffolk 

 with great success instead of ryegrass. Young recom- 

 mended it widely in consequence of its earliness, 

 largeness of produce, and yielding an ample rouen 

 (aftermath). He quotes a Hampshii-e farmer who, in 

 1812, asserted that since cocksfoot had been substituted 

 for ryegrass 100 additional sheep had been kept on his 

 farm of 240 acres. When recommending cocksfoot, 

 Young says " that the exclusive attention that has been 

 given to ryegrass has proved in a thousand instances 

 most prejudicial." 



Yarrow. — Young highly recommends this plant. 



Holcus lanatus. — He has often heard it abused. It is bad 

 for horses, no doubt, but does -well for everything else. It is 

 best for sheep, but bad for hay. When the good grasses cannot 

 be procured, recourse should be had to it. 



Burnet, once called Saxifrage (Poterium sanguisorbaj. — 

 Young again alludes to this plant, and mentions that it was 

 recommended by Worbage in 1675, especially for cows, as it 

 gives the best butter and cheese. There are large tracts of the 

 finest parts of the Southdowns upon which burnet forms half 

 the indigenous pasture. 



