370 
The Herbage of Pastures. 1 
feet above the sea-level, and it lias had no manure or fertiliser of any kind 
applied to it for about fifteen years, but during that period it has been 
constantly grazed by cattle and sheep. There is no record of its ever having 
been ploughed, and there are no indications of ploughing to be seen on the 
surface. The turf was nine inches deep, and the soil had the appearance of 
a beautiful uniform red loam. No rootlets were visible on the deep face. 
When the herbage was cut, on July 27, the exposed turf was found to be 
somewhat mossy. It yielded : — 
Gramineous herbage, 76 | Leguminous, 3 J Miscellaneous, 21. 
The leguminous herbage was exclusively Trifolium repens. The mis- 
cellaneous herbage consisted mostly of Rumex Acetosa, with a little Ranun- 
culus acris, Cerastiutn triviale, and Carduus pratensis. The grarninems 
herbage was separated into : — 
Agrostis sp 42 Arena flavescens ..... 1 
Alopecurus pratensis .... 20 Festuca ovina et var 1 
Festuca pratensis 12 Poa trivialis \ ^ 
Holcus lanatus 11 Anthoxanthum odoratum J ' ' 
Cynosurus cristatus .... 2 Undetermined . . . , , 10 
Both Agrostis vulgaris and A. stolonifera were present. 
No. 39. — Wishing to get a turf from the Yoredale or Wensleydale dis- 
trict, I wrote to the lion. G. E. Lascelles, Sion Hill, Thirsk, through whose 
kindness I received a turf from Mr. Thos. Willis, Manor House, Carperby, 
Bedale. The latter gentleman writes : — ■ 
" The field from which the turf was cut has been down in grass from 
time immemorial, and is a fair sample of the best grass-land in Wensley- 
dale. It is thirty-five years since the last crop was cut for hay, and it has 
never been mown since. It will fatten off a full-grown beast and a sheep 
per acre." 
The turf, nine inches deep, afforded no traces of rootlets on its lower face. 
The soil was a soft, brownish, friable loam, slightly stony. Cut on July 1.3, 
tbe very grassy herbage at that time was both rich and moist ; it yielded : — 
Gramineous herbage, 08 | Leguminous, a trace | Miscellaneous, 2. 
Trifolium repens was t lie only leguminous species prespnt ; whilst the 
miscellaneous herbage was made up of Ranunculus sp., Rumex Acetosa, and 
insignificant fragments of Conopodium denudatum, Cerastium triviale, and 
Cardamine pratense. The grasses were : — 
Dactylis glomerata 3 
Cynosurus cristatus .... 2 
Undetermined 4 
Lolium perenne 52 
IIolcus lanatus 20 
Agrostis sp 10 
Poa trivialis 3 | 
Both Agrostis vulgaris and A. stolonifera were present. 
No. 40. — A turf sent by Mr. Harry J. Hildyard, Cherry Burton House, 
Hull, from the llolderness district of Yorkshire, The pasture is situated at 
tteorborough, 4 miles north of Heverley, on the high road between that town 
and Driffield. The land has been in grass for 100 years or more, and there 
is no record of its having been mown. It is of fair feeding quality, and, 
with the aid of a little cake, beasts of largo size have been sold off this pas- 
ture up to 70 and 80 stone of 14 lb. 
The turf was dug eight and a half inches deep, and tho soil had the appear- 
