On Laying down Land to Permanent Grass. 237 
grass, we find it stated that " it is invaluable for permanent 
pasture, as it produces a bulky crop but in his account (at 
p. 31) of Festuca loliacea he says: "This very valuable variety 
is most closely allied to, and is sometimes mistaken for rye-grass 
(as its name implies). It is, however, easily distinguished Irom 
rye-grass, being short-stalked, and having always two outer 
glumes or pales. It also differs essentially from rye-grass in 
the fact that it improves as it gets fully developed." ^Ir. ^lartin 
Sutton, then, is of the same opinion as myself, that rye-grass 
does not improve in the same ratio as permanent grasses ; but 
if such is the case, why does he recommend rye-grass, when 
other grasses that are certainly permanent, and continue to 
improve, can be substituted? Many of Mr. Sutton's recom- 
mendations as regards the preparation of the land for the sowing 
of grass-seeds are valuable. I would notice, however, that he 
disapproves of sowing rape with the grass-seeds, and recom- 
mends corn ; whereas my experience is, that the sowing of rape 
with permanent grass-seeds is much to be recommended. His 
remarks about the injury done to a pasture by sowing the 
sweepings of the hayloft are invaluable. Another important 
piece ol advice, with which I entirely agree, is, that " use- 
less grasses are, indeed, most serious weeds." His state- 
ment that Italian rye-grass " is frequently recommended and 
extensively used, no doubt because it makes a showy appear- 
ance after the first year," agrees with the conclusion to w hich, 
after careful observation, 1 have mvself arrived, but with this 
difference, that I should substitute all ri/e-grass for Italian rye- 
grass only. In p. 12 Mr. Sutton savs : " The young grass 
should not be grazed till the following autumn and " it 
should never be forgotten that many of the finer grasses, if 
allowed to seed, are not strictly permanent on all soils.*' I am 
not aware of any grass with the properties which Mr. Sutton 
here describes, unless it be the annual grasses, which I have 
mentioned before ; but I think that no ordinary amount of 
manure would prevent foxtail, fiorin, and rough meadow grass 
from dying out on very dry banks. 
Mr. W. Toogood's pamphlet is certainly a useful one, and 
although I do not agree with him in every point, I must com- 
mend it. He does not put iorvvard any special instructions. 
He says that Italian rye-grass is more suitable for alternate 
husbandry than for permanent pasture. He gives important 
advice when he recommends those who understand something 
of the laying down land to permanent pasture, to select the 
varieties and draw out the quantities of each kind of grass and 
clover for themselves. He, however, falls into the same error 
as the other seed-merchants respecting the coarser grasses, in 
believing that the fine grasses are necessarily of the best quality. 
