On the Theory and Practice of Water- Meadows. 473 



the natural poverty of the soil, and its want of condition. Both 

 these imputations were just; but the undertaking seemed hope- 

 less enough. I dwell upon the circumstance, because it may be 

 useful to others. It seems to be a principle that irrigation may 

 gradually raise the condition of land, but requires either good 

 land or fair condition to produce a marked immediate effect. One 

 field looked decidedly worse than before, because there had been 

 previously more moss than grass on it, and the moss had been 

 killed by the water. But on the worst part of that field the ashes 

 of some burnt bull-peats or hassock-grass had been spread, and a 

 luxuriant crop of grass had sprung up. The hint was taken, and 

 there being peat at command for burning, a liberal dose of ashes 

 was applied in March, 1849. The effect was marvellous, espe- 

 cially on some worn out rye-grass, which is now full of young 

 clover and is become at once a close sward. This is not the case 

 where either the ashes or the water have been deficient. Here 

 is a remarkable agreement with what is said of Gurneyism in the 

 following passage:* — 



"Many experiments were made. The results of those experiments 

 were very interesting. They showed that the action was general ; that 

 the difference in growth in a given time was in proportion to the natural 

 fertility of the soil. On some of the coarse moors where experiments w r ere 

 tried, the increase of growth was very slow as compared to better soils. 

 It was found that the rate of action was also influenced by artificial 

 manuring, and that the increase of vegetation was in a ratio with the 

 natural quantity that would be produced by a given manure when laid on 

 a field, and not assisted by the operation of any fibrous covering. A 

 certain quantity ot stall-dung, which would double the quantity of grass in 

 a given time when laid on in the usual way, was found to increase it to 

 six times when properly treated with fibrous covering." 



It appears to me that in irrigation also the water does not 

 merely add to the produce, but tends to double or treble it. If 

 the produce by other means be half a ton, water will make it 

 one ton. If the produce be one ton, it will become two tons by 

 irrigation; a remarkable agreement with the action of fibrous 

 covering, and a great encouragement to maintain or to raise the 

 condition of water-meadows. 



In one way or other, partly by ashing the land, partly by the 

 irrigation alone, an entire change was made by last spring. The 

 grass grew so rapidly that we could not feed it all off, and were 

 obliged unwillingly to make much of it into hay. I say un- 

 willingly, because to carry off a crop of hay is of course not the 

 way to raise the condition of the land. As far as possible, how- 

 ever, sheep were penned regularly over the new catch-meadows, 

 in general three times successively on the same land, and partly 

 with artificial food because they were new and poor ; but to show 



* Journal of Royal Agricultural Society, Vol. vii. p. 279. 



