(99) 



three years, disappear from the meadow, leaving the grass 

 in possession of the ground. But it has not left without a 

 blessing, for it has reached up into the air with its long 

 {irms and drawn down great stores of ammonia, nitrogen, 

 oarbonic acid and other valuable elements that grass requires, 

 and has pushed them down into the soil; while on the 

 •other hand it has pumped up immense quantities of potash 

 and other salts that are, in their natural state, insoluble, and 

 not available to the grasses, and when it dies it bequeatl» 

 these valuable manures to its successors. Nor is this all. 

 Its long roots permeate the ground to a prodigious depth 

 for so humble a plant, and when the roots decay the soil is 

 so honey-combed that rains penetrate to the subsoil easily 

 and the grass roots follow to a much greater depth than they 

 could otherwise attain. And while all these services are 

 being rendered, the clover is giving to its owner large yields 

 •of the best of hay. 



Such a mixture should be made in the sowings as if one 

 species fail another will take hold. Nor is it proper to sow 

 the same quantities on the different soils of the State. On 

 rich bottoms there wiil'be a necessity for using a free hand, 

 while on the sandy uplands we must withold the quantity. 

 It may be wished to pasture alternate years, or after the 

 lapse of a few years altogether. All these reasons will 

 modify the quantity of seed to be sown. If a very early 

 ■crop is wanted, such should be selected as come in early, or 

 if a succession of crops be desired, it will be an easy matter 

 to take from our list those that will ripen, or rather blossom 

 one after another to the latest, thus enabling the farmer to 

 save all his hay in good time. This custom prevails to 

 some extent in Ireland, to sow the same quantity of seed to 

 an acre of each kind as though no other sorts were to be 

 sown, and enough of each kind to fully seed the land. 



On a visit to the Unaka Mountains, last September, in 

 company with some members of the Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science, we saw some grasses growing in great 



