The Herhage of Old Grass Lands. 
431 
Lolium perenne • > G2l 
Agrostis sp. . • I • • t I • 86 
Dactylis glomerata "] llOO 
Cynosurus cristatus > « • f • • • 2 
Holcus lanatus J J 
The leguminous herbage was about equally divided between 
Trifolium repens and Trifolium pratense, with one plant of 
Lotus corniculatus. The miscellaneous herbage was made up 
of Plantago lanceolata (60 per cent.) and Leontodon hispidus 
(30 per cent.), the remainder being Taraxacum officinale and 
Ranunculus bulbosus. 
No. 14. — A turf from county Meath, the specimen having 
the appearance of a loose, friable, brown loam, rather stony. 
The herbage was cut on July 27, and yielded: — 
Gramineous herbage 21 
Leguminous herbage . . . . . . , 1 • 100 
Miscellaneous herbage 78. 
The grasses were thus proportioned : — 
Lolium perenne , , , , , , ,61'' 
Dactylis glomerata 28 
Agrostis sp. .,.(.••, 9 
Cynosurus cristatus ^ )-100 
Anthoxanthum odoratum 
Poa trivialis 
Festuca ovLna 
Holcus lanatus 
The small proportion of leguminous herbage was all Trifolium 
repens. Of the miscellaneous herbage 99 per cent, was made 
up of Leontodon sp., the produce, however, of only two very 
robust plants which occupied between them fully one-half the 
plot, and, of course, smothered the herbage which otherwise 
would have sprung up there. The rest of the miscellaneous 
herbage consisted chiefly of Plantago and Ranunculus. 
No. 15.— -A turf sent by Mr. George Fairbairn, of Dromagh 
Castle, county Cork, who wiites : — 
" The meadow rests upon the table-land on which the castle stands, the 
soil is from 12 to 18 inches deep, and the subsoil is a yellowish clay and 
sand, varj-ing from 3 to 12 inches thick. It was always the greenest 
pasture we had last summer (1887), and the grass comes early on it. As 
it is well sheltered and dry, the dairy cows have been put into it at nights 
for forty years at least. It is named the Barley Field, as it is said the last 
crop on it was barley; but the oldest man here does not mind of that. 
P.S. — Since writing, I have heard from an old man that it is about fifty-five 
years since the field was tilled." 
The specimen appeared to be a somewhat stony bro\\'n loam, 
and was well permeated by roots; the herbage, cut July 26, 
had the following composition : — 
