G R A S S. 



Grass, Scorpion, Moiife-tar. See Mtosotis. 

 GuAScS, Scurvy. See Cochleauia. 

 Grass, Shave. See Equisetlm. 

 Gkass, SilL See Apocyxu.m. 

 Grass, Sword. See Gladiolus. 

 Grass, TrefSd. See Trefoil. 

 Grass, Vernal. See iiN-riioxANTiiUM. 

 Grass, Veich. See Latiiyrus. 

 Grass, Vip.r's. See Scoh2oxera. 

 Grass, IVbltlow. See Draba. 

 Grass, ll'hiilow, Rue-kavsd. See Saxifraga. 

 Grass, IVorm. See Spigelia. 

 Grass, Wrack. See Zostera. 



Grass, in ylgricuhure, a generiJ name applied to thofe her- 

 baceous plants thai are employed in the feeding and fattening 

 of neat cattle, flieep, &c. It lias been long lince remarked in 

 an able tract on the grafies of this country, " that much 

 of our meadow and pallure-land may be rendered inlinitcly 

 more valuable than it is at prefent, by the introduction of 

 fome of the be'l grafTes which v.e poflefs ; and that this is 

 an opinion which has long prevailed among many of the 

 more enlightened agricultnrills of the prefent agt, foiae of 

 whom liave endeavoured to excite the hufoaadmaa to coUeft 

 and cultivate feeds of this fort, by writings fraught with 

 the foundell retifoning ; while others iiave attempted to at- 

 tract him by the oifei-s of well-directed premiun-js ; but that 

 hitlierto neither the writings of the one, however convincing, 

 nor the premiums of the other, however alluring, have, as the 

 author thinks, been productive of the defired effect." And 

 " Mr. Stillingfleet fays, it is wonderful to fee how long man- 

 kind has neglected to make a proper advantage of plants of 

 fuch importance, and which in alnioit every country are the 

 chief food of cattle. Tlie farmer, for want of diftinguifliing 

 and felecting graiTcs for feed, fills his pailures either with 

 weeds, or bad or improper graffes ; when by making a right 

 choice, after fome ti'iais, he might be fure of the bed grafs, 

 and in the greatell abundance that his. land admits of. At 

 prefent, if a farmer wants to lay down his land to grals, 

 what does he do ? He cither takes his feeds indifcriminately 

 from his own foul hay-rick, or fends to his next neighbour 

 for a fupply. By this means, befides a certain mixture of 

 all forts of rubbitli, which mull iieceJarily happen ; if he 

 chances to have a large proportion of good feeds, it is not 

 unlikely but that what he intends for dry land may come 

 from moitt, v.'here it grew naturally, and the contrary. 

 This is fuch a flovenly method of proceeding, as one would 

 think cotild not poifibly prevail univer(ally ; yet this is the 

 cafe as to all graffes, except the dirncl-grafs, and what is 

 known in fome few counties by the name of the Suffolk- 

 grafs {poa annua) ; and this latter inftance is owing, it is 

 believed, more to the foil than any care of the hufbandman. 

 Now, continues he, would the farmer be at the pains ot 

 feparating once in his life half a pint or a pint of the dif- 

 ferent kinds of grafs-fceds, and take care to fow tht m 

 feparately ; In a very little time he Vi-oi:ld have .wherewithal 

 to ilogk liis farm properly, according to the nature of each 

 foil, and might at the fame time Ipread thefe feeds feparately 

 over the nation by fupplying the feed-fliops. The number 

 of graffes fit for the farmer is, he believes, fmali ; perhaps 

 half a dozen, or half a fcore, are all he need to cultivate ; 

 and how fmall the trouble would be of fuch a talk, and 

 how great the benefit, mufl be obvious to every one at firil 

 fight. Would not any one be looked on as wild, who 

 fhould fow wheat, barley, oats, rye, peas, beans, vetches, 

 buck-wheat, turnips, and weeds of all forts together ? Yet 

 how is it much lefs abfurd to do what is equivalent in rela- 

 tion to graffes.'' 

 Vol. XVI, 



It is alfo affcrtcd by Mr. Kent, that meadow and psHurc- 

 ' lian plouglicd ground, notwi;hlL-!iid- 



land is oftener neglected tli: 



ing It generally admits of a much'grciUT proporticii of in, 

 provement. The belt graffes cannot be coll.cicd at Um 

 great an expencc ; for he has feen a fmall fpot of land, in ijie 

 middle of a large piece, which was laid down twelve or 

 fourteen years fiiice, by the writer noticed above, upon aa 

 eihite in Herefordlhire, with fome choice feeds, at the fime 

 time wlien the remainder of the field was laid down with 

 common feeds ; and that this fpot isconfiderably Letter lliaa 

 the reil. From thefe experiments, and his own obfervationi, 

 he is clearly of opinion, that any perfon who has land ca'cu- 

 lated for grafs may improve it, by this method of la)irg it 

 down, to a much greater degree than he can in the comn.on 

 way. Dr. Anderlon has likewife obfcrved, in the fecoiid 

 volume of his tffay.s, that although it is probable, that nor.e 

 of the graffes that have been hitherto cultivated by the 

 farmer are of the moll proper kind for palturage ; vet there 

 is little rcaftjn to doubt but that many of the moff'valuabic 

 kinds for this purpofe woidd admit of. being cultivated wit!» 

 the fame eafe as fome of thofe are with which we are well 

 acquainted, if they were properly feparated from others, and 

 cultivated with equal care. But fo long as we fiiall remain 

 ignorant of the peculiar qualities of each kind of grafs, fo 

 as not to be able to dillinguifli the good from the bad, it \i 

 not furpriling, tliat we ihould remain firmly pcrfuaded that 

 nature alone can provide valuable paftures, and that age i. 

 fo effentially neceffary for bringing them to their ultimate 

 perfedtion. For, if we allow our fields to remain uncultivat- 

 ed, without having fowed them with any kind of grafs-feeds, 

 it muft ever happen, that the feeds of fuch graffes as are 

 brought by the wind, or otherwife, from the nt iglibouririg 

 fields, will there take root, and in time eftablifh thcmfelvcs. 

 And as it may fometimcs happen, that fome of the ir.oft v.dti- 

 able pafture -graffes may' there abound; the fieU, in tliefc 

 cafes, will become filled with their feeds, and in due time may 

 afford the moft valuable pafture. But if bad kirds of graffei 

 flioiild abound in the neighbourhood more than the good, 

 the field will as naturally become filled with the feeds of 

 thefe ufelefs plants. And as a. number of thefe are hardy 

 and abiding plants, if the field is once filled with them, the 

 pafture will be, of confequence, always of little value, if 

 it (liould be allowed to remain undiilurbed for any length of 

 time. Let the reader, therefore, coi.fider how numerous 

 the circumftanccs are that muft accidentally concur together 

 before it is pofTib'e to cxpe£t a very fine fiild of pallure- 

 grals, if left to nature, and then he will perceive 1io\t 

 improbable it is that all thefe (liould concur to produce 

 their full effect in any one field whatever. There muft 

 be no roots of bad gr;.ffes, nor feeds <>f robiift annuals, in 

 the foil when it is L'ft out from tillage ; and the feeds of the 

 moft valuable kinds of graffes muft be in the neighbourhood in 

 fuch abundance as to fill the whi le field fufiiciently at once. 

 Nor is this alb For as there is, no doubt, a confiderable 

 variety of valuable kinds of grafs, fome of which are naturally- 

 fitted to grow to pcrfeftioii on one kind of foil, or upot> 

 that foil when in certain circumftanccs, while others would 

 thrive bell upon another foil, or upon that toil only in cer- 

 tain peculiar circumftanccs ; it muft fo happen, that thefe 

 very plants which arc belt adapted to the foil in 'the ftatc it 

 may be in at the time, fhould be found in abundance in the 

 neighbourhood of the field. Neitlier mult there be found 

 near that, any fort of robuftquick-growirg plant, the feeds 

 of which, by being b!o»vn upon that field, might fuddcnly- 

 rnniup and fufi'ocate in their infancy thefe tender and valu- 

 able plants. Nor muil there, be found any bad kinds oF 

 grafs, that, by being eftablifhed along with the good in 

 4 L ■ any 



