Worthlessn&ss of Ryegrass on Poor Soils. 59 



ness, and so carries back his observations on this plant 

 to a remote probable use of it. I think, however, that 

 the rfeader will rest satisfied with my having, in the 

 preceding chapter, alluded to some of the works of 

 those who lived in the last century, and begin the 

 subject of laying down land to grass by referring to 

 an interestiQg paper which appears in the appendix of 

 Dr. Keith's "Agriculture of Aberdeenshire."* But 

 before doing so, it may be interesting and useful to 

 allude to some opinions as regards ryegrass which Dr. 

 Keith quotes from Dr. Anderson's " Original Report of 

 Agriculture in Aberdeenshire." 



After remarking on the value of ryegrass t in the case 

 of rich lands. Dr. Anderson observes that :— 



" Upon poor soils it is perhaps one of the worst grasses yet 

 known. Its leaves there are not more abundant than those of 

 dogstail grass ; and so dry and rigid that cattle are not fond of 

 it. Its stalks spire forth very early, and, being immixed with 

 leaves, they are tough as wires, so as to be disrelished by all 

 beasts ; and are all allowed to get into seed, when they become 

 brown and sapless, and good for nothing. On poor fields no 

 practice can be so bad as that of sowing lyegrass. It extirpates 

 all other grasses, and this is worse than any of them." 



Dr. Home, in his "Principles of Agriculture and 

 Vegetation," Edinburgh, 1757, p. 65, says :— 



" Ryegrass is especially injurious from its effect in binding 

 together, and so hardening the soil." 



It is not a little remarkable that this grass, which, for 

 poor lands at least, was so justly condemned in former 

 times, should be a grass still so much used in Scotland 

 on poor lands ; but this, of course, is to be attributed 

 to the ignorance of the farmers as regards other and 

 more suitable grasses, and Dr. Keith, though he does 



* "A General View of the Agriculture of Aberdeenshire," by George 

 Skene Keith, D.D., Aberdeen^ 1811. 



t The value of ryegrass is fiu-ther discussed in Chapter VI. 



