Famous Ancient Pastures of England. 
753 
The pastures [53] at Whittingharu, near Alnwick (North- 
lmberland), belonging to the Earl of Ravensworth. 
Pastures [5 i to 56] at Swinhoe, and [57] at Tughall Grange, 
aear Chathill (Northumberland). 
The meadows [58 to 60] at Rigmaden, near Kirkby Lons- 
lale (Westmoreland). 
The pastures [61 to 63] at Althorp Park, near Northampton, 
the seat of Earl Spencer. 
In all fairly stocked pastures one observes, in the autumn, 
portions that are closely eaten down, and others where the 
plants have been allowed to run to seed. Such plants may be 
collected in small patches which are due to the droppings of the 
stock, and though the vegetation is very vigorous from the 
influence of the manure, and should supply a tempting bite to 
the stock, it is left untouched because of the presence of the 
offensive droppings. These plots are very useful to the inquirer, 
as they supply a fair indication of the herbage of the field. They 
are not desirable, however, in the field, because of the loss of 
food and perhaps still more because of the opportunities they 
afford for the growth of ergot. This autumn I gathered fifteen 
ergoted grasses in such a plot, not more than two square yards 
in area. Most of the heads had several ergots, and on one 
cocksfoot I found nine. Had the ergots been equally numerous 
in the fruiting grasses throughout the field it would have been 
very dangerous to any gravid animal feeding there. Ergot begins 
its attack on the grass when the flower is getting fully developed. 
It then settles on the tender seed, and uses for its own growth 
the food which was destined by the grass for filling up the seed. 
Ergot lives only on the seed, and it cannot appear until 
the grasses are in flower. It has been met with on most of our 
pasture grasses, and the ergot from any one of the grasses will 
in the following year produce seeds (spores) which will re- 
produce the ergot on any other grass. I cannot l-efrain from 
expressing my conviction that very few farmers recognise this 
dangerous parasite in their pastures, or at all realise the injury 
it may cause to their stock. The spreading of the droppings 
would secure the eating down of the pasture regularly and the 
little expense incurred would be more than repaid by the gain in 
the pasture. 
The bents or fruiting stalks of grasses are more frequently 
due to the rejection of some elements in the pasture by the 
stock. The bare places have supplied baitable plants, which 
have been eaten down, and so the flowering stalks have not been 
produced. On the other hand certain grasses which are dis- 
vol. l t. s — X 3 D 
