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several grasses which appear at pages 160-204. My acknow- 

 ledgments are also due to Mr. J. Gilbert Baker, of the Royal 

 Herbarium, Kew, for information which he has freely given. 



To Dr. Stebler, the eminent Continental authority on 

 agricultural grasses, and to Dr. George Vasey, Botanist to 

 the Department of Agriculture, Washington, U.S.A., I am 

 indebted for most interesting details concerning grasses in 

 Europe and America. 



My old and lamented friend, the late Professor Buckman, 

 was ever ready to give me the benefit of his wide experience, 

 and I prize his opinions on many of the grasses used in agri- 

 culture as the conclusions of a practical farmer as well as 

 botanist. 



I feel a special pleasure in acknowledging the great services 

 rendered me by Dr. J. Augustus Voelcker, in making a 

 series of chemical analyses of agricultural grasses expressly for 

 this book. These analyses will be found at pages 160 to 204. 

 They are of a more exhaustive and practical character than 

 any which have previously been published, and, with the 

 Report on page 159, they will be of considerable interest to 

 scientific agriculturists. 



Finally, I have had the advantage of drawing upon my 

 father's experience of over fifty years in laying down land in 

 every county, and almost in every parish, of the kingdom, 

 as well as large tracts in the Colonies. 



This book does not profess to be a standard authority 

 on British Grasses. My aim has been to show the relative 

 agricultural value of varieties upon which I have personally 

 experimented. 



For any omissions that may be detected perhaps I may be 

 allowed to plead that the work has been written in brief 

 moments snatched at intervals from an absorbing business. 



MARTIN J. SUTTON. 



Reading : February 1, 1886. 



