36 



the grounds fittest for the purpose, and then proceed to 

 give such instructions as I conceive will be useful. 



The measure of changing a natural, mixed, grassy sole, 

 into a pure florin sole, is founded on the assumption, that 

 in every grassy surface, undisturbed for three or four 

 years, there is a mixture of agrostis stolonifera ; and I 

 have invariably found the quantity of this agrostis, propor- 

 tioned to the difficulties it had to encounter. At Porta- 

 down, General Carr and I found, that after seven 

 months submersion, the emerging verdant sole was pure 

 florin : a hard gravelly bottom precluded the aquatics^ 

 and other grasses would have been drowned. 



I showed Earl O'Neil, that the sole of an old turn- 

 pike road (now shut up) was pure florin, and offered to 

 throw it instantly into a rich crop. 



Walking afterwards with his Lordship in a weak moory 

 part of his estate early in August, we observed a tenant 

 mowing a poor spritty meadow; I told his Lordship he 

 was cutting it quite too early. 



I went over the ditch, and having examined it, called his 

 Lordship and showed him great abundance of young florin 

 stolones running among the sprit : his Lordship persuaded 

 his tenant to listen to my advice, and abstain from mowing 

 for a long time. 



Some weeks afterwards his Lordship informed me, that 

 his tenant had been obliged to cut his meadow, which had 

 improved far beyond his expectations ; and I have no 

 doubt, had he abstained some weeks longer, his meadow 

 would have more than double the quantity it had produced 

 when I stopped_him. 



It is in the harshest parts of low regions alone, that we 

 can expect to succeed in converting a mixed sole into a 

 pure florin one ; should we select a rich, or even a mode- 

 rately rich surface, in a low country, however well stocked 



