ROYAL PAEKS, ENGLAND : MANAGEMENT AND ORGANLSATION. 293 



same, a copy of which I should be pleased to supply to any member of the 

 Society interested in the subject, which is, I am inclined to think, of more 

 importance than is generally recognised. I will only say now that we 

 have each seed delivered separately in bulk after the acceptance of a 

 tender, and, from the centre of one or two sacks of each variety, a sample 

 is taken and sent to Mr. Carruthers, as Consulting Botanist of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society, for analysis and report before final acceptance. If 

 the result of the germination is above the standard named in the specifi- 

 cation, we pay for that seed proportionately higher than the price named 

 in the tender for that particular seed ; where it is lower we proportionately 

 reduce the payment. Of course, if the germination be really bad we reject 

 the seed altogether. ' 



Two or three years ago I was instructed to lay down again to grass 

 about 45 acres in Queen's Park, Holyrood Palace, from which the grass 

 had entirely disappeared, owing to neglect and continual use of the land 

 for di-ill and for football and other games. 



It was decided to plough the land up, and I consulted Mr, Carruthers 

 as to the seeds it would be desirable to sow. I found he was able to 

 supply me with a list of all the grasses found in the turf there from an 

 analysis he had made a short time before. 



We availed ourselves of this information, and the result has been 

 highly satisfactory, as I think will be apparent to any one who inspects it, 

 having regard to the fact that the land was only sown in the spring of 

 1899. Indeed, the way in which the grass has rooted and spread is quite 

 remarkable. Mr. Carruthers advised us to sow some rape-seed at the 

 same time, in view of the likelihood of a dry, hot season, so that it .might 

 shelter the young grass for the lirst two summers, and keep it to some 

 extent moist. It was fortunate we did this, for the summer of 1899 was 

 very hot and dry, and but for the rape it would probably have been quite 

 burnt up. The appearance of the land when the rape grew up was 

 curious, and the residents in the neighbourhood seemed to think we had 

 devoted the land to a market garden. The rape has now, of course, 

 entirely disappeared, and the grass seems able to take care of itself. 



It is found, I believe, analysing turf generally, that not more than 

 five or six different varieties of grass exist in it, and that, whatever seeds 

 may be sown, after a few years only what may be termed the indigenous 

 grasses remain permanently. It may be asked, then, why it is the 

 custom to sow, say, twice as many varieties of seeds as will ultimately 

 remain there. The answer is that it is not well to sow what will form 

 the permanent plants too closely, but to let others temporarily nurse them 

 and be gradually edged out and die off as the roots of the indigenous 

 grasses spread and strengthen. 



I should like to say a word specially to the owners, qua owners, of 

 parks and gardens, large and small, as well as the managers of our public 

 parks, and that is, that I think they should encourage and even reipiire 

 their superintendents and head gardeners to go about the country as 

 much as possible and see what is being done in places other than those 

 of which they have the charge — wherever possible, too, they should take 

 the opportunity of seeing what is being done abroad, not only on the 

 Continent, but even in America. We do this largely. Our superintendents, 



