On Laying down Land to Permanent Grass. 
241 
He then tried inoculation, which seemed to succeed, and this he 
puts down to the superiority of the farming. I should consider it 
rather as due to his having used turf containing permanent grasses. 
He then attempted to lay down pasture with sainfoin, and savs 
" that as the sainfoin began to die out indigenous grasses began 
to make their appearance " (p. 437). Mr. Howard would have 
added not a little to the value of his article if he had informed us 
of the names of these grasses, so that we might judge of their value 
for stock. Further on he says, *' I laid down land with lucerne, 
and from the beautiful carpet of green my field presents this 
spring I have every reason so far to be satisfied with the experi- 
ment." I have not seen Mr. Howard's newly formed pasture, 
but mv experience would lead me to believe that the bulk of the 
grass which has sprung up with the lucerne is probably rough 
meadow grass and annual meadow grass or Suffolk grass (^Poa 
annua), and if I am correct in my supposition, although 
good for stock at certain periods of the year when the lucerne 
dies, it will be found quite inadequate to form a pasture. Mv 
own experience coincides with that of Mr. Howard thus far, 
that where land can be sown down without a corn crop it is 
preferable. Mr. Howard seems to take it for granted that 
always after three or four years the grass must deteriorate, but 
here again he does not give us anv information as to the species 
of grasses which disappear. 
Among the most valuable contributions to the art of farming 
permanent pastures are the fifty-five reports in the ' Journal of 
the Roval Agricultural Society of England" of 1875 (Part II. 
vol. xi.), and the conclusions therefrom drawn by Messrs. Morgan 
Evans and T. Bowstead. But some of the results arrived 
at in these reports must be cautiously received. The reports 
support the assumption which, as I have already stated, has 
been put forward by seed merchants and farmers, and generally 
accepted, that in laying down pastures there must be a deteriora- 
tion after the lapse of a few years : bu^ it does not appear to me 
that the authors have taken account of the kind of seed sown, 
and so have not realised that the loss has been caused bv the 
use of annual grasses and by the poor quality of the seed of the 
permanent grasses employed. Thus Mr. Morgan Evans writes 
(p. 501) : — " There is little comment necessary on the mixture 
ot seeds used bv the various correspondents. These are of the 
usual kind recommended by seedsmen, and will vary according 
to their natural adaptation to the soil of the district. Timothy 
and alsike appear to be increasing in popularity. These, along 
with the fescues, white clover, rye-grass, &c., are the principal 
constituents." Thirty-six of the reports are from the North of 
England, and they testify that the experiments in laying down 
VOL. xvin. — S. ' R 
