The Herbage of Pastures. 
391 
perenne and Holcus lanatus each in 7. Of the grasses, Agrostis 
sp. was most abundant in 3 cases, Lolium perenne in 3, Holcus 
lanatus in 3, and Alopecurus pratensis, Poa sp. and Festuca ovina 
et var., each in 1. The Scotch turfs differ in several interesting 
points from those of other parts of the British Isles. 
Though it was desired to restrict this investigation to the 
herbage of pastures, yet in several cases turfs from meadows 
were sent — usually inadvertently. It seems desirable to distin- 
guish between pasture, or grazing land, and meadovj, or hayfield. 
That land which is more or less frequently mown differs in the 
relative composition of its herbage from land which is continu- 
ously grazed must be apparent from the results afforded by the 
turfs numbered 47, 52, 53, 54, 58, 59, 77, 80. A comparison 
of the pasture-turf, No. 33, with the adjoining meadow-turf, 
No. 80 — both sent by Mr. R. Stratton — is particularly instructive. 
It will be noticed that, in the mown meadows, the tendency is for 
Dactylis or Holcus to become predominant, and for Lolium to 
recede. Here, then, is a striking confirmation of an observation 
recorded at the beginning of 1889, by Sir John Lawes, with 
reference to pastures he had laid down at Rothamsted since 
1872 : — " Some of the new grass has never been mown, but 
some has been mown occasionally. Wherever it has been mown, 
the amount of rye-grass has much diminished ; but where it has 
never been mown, but only fed by cattle having cotton-cake, 
rye-grass is abundant." Although an important and useful grass 
in the hayfield — notably in temporary seed-layers — it is in the 
pasture, under the continuous treading and grazing of cattle, 
that rye-grass is more especially qualified to luxuriate. 
It is but fair to myself to state that this investigation was 
entered upon without any reference to, or even any thought of, 
what is known as the Rye-grass Controversy. It originated, in 
fact, in a conversation, some years ago, between the President 
of the Surveyors' Institution (Mr. E. P. Squarey) and myself, 
as to what might be the exact character of the herbage of 
pastures. In my former paper I came to the conclusion that 
Lolium perenne was by far the most abundant grass, and 
Trifolium repens the most abundant clover, in old pastures. 
Last year — that is, in another season, and by quite a different 
method — Mr. Carruthers examined a select number of the 
pastures from which my specimens of 1888 were drawn, and 
his results appear in an earlier part (pp. 95-110) of the present 
volume. 
I find, on looking into these results, that, of the 14 pastures 
Mr. Carruthers examined, rye-grass is recorded in 13, and no 
