The Herhage of Old Gi-ass Lands. 
415 
from seed dressed with sulphate of copper will be essentially 
diminished thereby. Especially so will this be the case after 
such a severe winter as 1887-8 was in Denmark ; for I found 
in my experiments this year (1888) with wheat that the yield 
of the corn averaged 30 per cent, more on those plots so'vvn with 
heat-disinfected seed than on those sown with seed-com dressed 
in the usual waj^ with sulphate of copper. The yield of straw 
too was 23 per cent, in favour of the heat-disinfected seed. 
It may be remarked that the above results were obtained 
from corn thrashed in the usual way (by a machine), but I 
found that when the gi'ains were picked out of the ears by 
hand it suffered much less from the treatment with sulphate of 
copper. 
COXCLUSION. 
Dressing cereals with sulphate of copper in the usual manner 
against smut and bunt causes as a rule a waste of the seed-com. 
It is injurious to the plants and unnecessary. Treating the seed- 
corn with water heated to a temperature of 127° F. for five 
minutes prevents these diseases equally well, and protects barley 
much better, while it has the advantage of not injuring the 
seed-corn or the I'esulting crop. 
XXIL— The Ilerlage of Old Grass Lands. By W. Fream, 
B.Sc. Lond., LL.D., F.L.S., F.G.S., College of Agriculture, ■ 
Downton, Salisbury. 
The grass lands of England constitute so large a proportion of 
her agi'icultural wealth as to justify, and even to demand, the 
most careful observation and study to which pastures and 
meadows can be subjected. Within recent years one branch of 
the subject, that of laying land down to grass, has been very 
fully discussed, and much valuable experience has incidentally 
been placed on record. But although considerable information 
has been forthcoming concerning the most approved methods of 
forming new grass lands, it can hardly be said that our know- 
ledge of the constitution, and more particularly of the herbage, 
of old grass lands has made much progress. 
Yet, fi-om an economic point of view, the old meadows and 
pastures of this country are far more important and far more 
valuable than those of recent creation, whilst many of them are 
so famed for their general excellence of character that they may 
fairly be taken to constitute the ideal in the direction of which 
