Experiences of a Scotsman on the Essex Clays. 319 
soil. As to its effects in enabling us to clean land, arable land 
has developed weeds peculiar to itself, and these will not grow 
among pasture for any length of time, any more than wheat will 
grow there. There are three grasses which foul our land here — 
couch-grass (Triticnm repens), black bent (Alopccuriis agrestis), 
and w^ater-grass {Arjrostis vulgaris). The first two of these 
literally die out of themselves whenever the land is put into 
pasture on this soil. On light soil couch would likely persist, 
but not so on our stiff clay. The last one mentioned is our 
greatest trouble, at least where the fields are wet ; but it also 
succumbs to manuring. Instead, therefore, of the laborious and 
expensive cleaning of land by a bare fallow or by roots, we 
simply plough pi'operly, manure heavily, grow good crops, lay 
the land down to grass, and there is no further trouble. I do 
not, of course, mean it to be inferred that there is not a 
single blade of couch, or the like, on the farm, but I certainly 
maintain that there is not enough to be troublesome, or con- 
spicuous, or enough to sensibly interfere with the growth of any 
crop. To this I must except some seventeen acres on which 
roots were grown in former years. Although oOs. per acre was 
spent in hand-hoeing in addition to horse-hoeing, yet the land 
is now, when laid away in " seeds," overrun with " water-grass," 
and I doubt if it will clean itself without cropping and sowing 
down once more. Otherwise the farm is practically as clean as 
there is any need for it to be. 
The composition of the gi'ass mixture will interest many, 
and I have already been often asked for it. It has been the 
result of a good many years' experience now, and I made it up 
and modified it largely from noticing the kinds of grasses which 
naturally throve best, or were most conspicuous in the locality. 
It has been objected that I omit meadow fescue. This grass is 
very scarce in the locality, and therefore I never thought* of 
adding any of it, though possibly it might do better in such a 
mixture on arable land. I have, however, tried tall fescue in the 
mixture, but without getting it to grow satisfactorily. The tall 
oat-grass (Arena elatior) grows abundantly along the fences, 
but I have also failed to get it to grow well. I have therefore 
— after altering a little from year to year — settled down to the 
following kinds and quantities per acre : 
lb. lb. 
Perennial rye-grass . . . 13 i Perennial clover (broad) , . 3 
Italian rye-grass . . .6 White clover .... 2 
Cocksfoot .... .5 Alsike clover .... 2 
Timothy 3 Trefoil (or Lucerne) . . 2 
Meadow foxtail ... 2 — 
Red clover (broad) ... 3 40 
