71 
Of the weeds in permanent pastures, the carex 
palustris and pennula form one-third of the grasses, 
and give that peculiar blue tint to the swarth. The 
alopecurus agrestis and sonchus arvense are exceed- 
ingly troublesome to the corn crops ; the former by- 
farmers is supposed to produce rot in sheep, and is 
called " spry" ; it ripens the seed in June, and con- 
secutive crops of it continue flowering all the summer.* 
Now, it is evident from the analysis of the Womersley 
and Owston, and Whitley soils, that they do not owe 
their infertility to their texture, for, according to Thaer's 
classification, his best soil contains 80 per cent, of 
clay, while the stiffest of these do not contain 45 per 
cent. All this country lies very flat, there being 
only 15 feet of fall between Goole and Ferrybridge, 
although the means of draining into the Went and Don 
are much improved lately. It was before remarked, 
that if the subsoil is retentive, the soil, if shallow, 
whatever its quality may be, will likewise be wet, and if 
these lands had a much less tenacious soil, they would be 
wet from the want of draining. The first step, then 
is to get rid of surface water, which now is left to be 
evaporated by the atmosphere, for no other egress has 
it. The next step, after affording a passage for surface 
water, is to carry away the stagnant water from the roots 
of the plants, which can only be effected by deep subsoil 
• There are also two or three varieties of moss very prevalent ; but 
of the musci it may be said that they are not the cause but th e 
eflfect of infertility, and never injure land. The grass turf always 
degenerates before they ever vegetate. The sporules in the first instance 
receive nourishment from the soil, but after a short time the roots of 
the moss plant die and it receives nutriment from the air alone. They, 
in fact, preserve the grass from cold in winter, and the heat of the sun in 
summer. 
