16 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH GRASSES, 
die at once when they have attained the end of their growth, 
namely, seed for the reproduction of their species ; and in 
many of them their duration of life can be delayed for an 
indefinite period by preventing this consummation: thus I 
have made the annual Reseda odorata (mignonette), by 
constantly pulling off its fowerbuds, grow for three years, 
and assume the form of a woody plant, dying, however, on 
the fourth year, on their being allowed to seed. 
In October, 1849, I planted a patch of wheat in one of 
my experimental plots of five yards square ; this I kept con- 
stantly cut down during the summer of 1850, and it stood 
the winter of 1850-51, and became a tolerable crop in the 
summer of 1851, though much of it had died in the mean 
time. Oats and barley treated the same quite died out. 
Now, these experiments show, that not allowing seeding 
in due season has a tendency to prolong the duration of life 
of plants ; it is upon this principle in depasturing, that our 
meadows maintain their position, as continuous patches of 
herbage. Constant haymaking would inevitably promote 
the dying out of good grasses, and this the more readily the 
older the grass be before being cut, so that in all cases 
it is the greatest possible mistake not to make hay early. 
Otherwise what is gained in quantity is mostly prejudiced 
in quality, and the after consequences are always unfavour- 
able, circumstances arising not solely from the impoverish- 
ing of the soil. 
The Italian rye-grass will be found to throw out more 
barren shoots in cultivation than the common form, and 
this renders it a valuable variety: indeed, varieties—not 
merely species—of all agricultural plants should be care- 
fully attended to, as derivative specimens always alter their 
properties in the course of years. By some it is thought 
that new forms take the place of old ones in estimation, 
merely from fashion and caprice, but I am inclined to think 
that they are more generally resorted to from the necessity 
of trying something else, because of the previous failure of 
the old sorts, which is ever the case, even with careful 
