64 



formation of valuable meadow, without breaking the 

 surface. I here looked only to meadow, and that from 

 the produce of owe solitary grass, carefully extirpating all 

 others. 



It is from the operation of weeding that I derive the 

 information I consider as of so much importance ; for the 

 greater part of the intruders upon me is the cock's-foot, 

 and the weightiest share of my labour is to extirpate this 

 grass, on all other occasions my greatest favourite. 



I was well acquainted with this ungenial piece of ground, 

 always in meadow, and for thirty years had never observed 

 a single panicle of cock's-foot in it; but so soon as the 

 nature of the soil was changed by the simple operations I 

 so often detail, this valuable grass emerges from its obscu- 

 rity, and presses forward to occupy its share of a surface, 

 now made congenial to its nature. 



Several years ago, I had recommended cock's-foot as 

 the very best grass for pasture, assigning my reasons ; to 

 wit, that it possessed three qualities that make a pasture 

 grass valuable, earliness, luxuriance, and quick powers of 

 reproduction, after being eaten down. Cock's-foot also 

 stands high on Sir Humphry Davy's list, as pelding much 

 nutritive matter. 



Is it then unreasonable to expect, that the so??ie ope- 

 rations will produce sirnilai; effects on other grounds ; 

 and that when we relieve them from water, and enrich their 

 surface, that spontaneous cock's-foot will spring up in our 

 mountain pasture, as well as in our cold, wet, low-land 

 meadow, though this most excellent grass had never been 

 seen in either before I 



I may be too sanguine in my expectations, that this 

 most valuable of grasses will instantly obey our call, and 

 enrich our mountain pastures, so soon as we shall have 

 prepared the soil for its reception ; but I know that a total 

 change in the herbage will most rapidly take place, and 



