318  Final  Report  071  Gi'ass  Ea'pei'ments,  1895-1904. 
In  three  cases  tlie  experiment  concerned  the  laying  down  of 
land  to  pasture,  and  this  it  will  be  convenient  to  take  first. 
A. — Laying  Land  down  to  Pasture. 
County 
1.  Bedfordshire 
2. 
3.  Essex 
Locality  Formation 
Willington,  near  Bedford  Oxforil  Clay 
Beckerings  Park,  Ampthill  Lower  greensand 
Fairstead,  Hatfield  Peverel  London  Clay 
1.  Wnii77gto7i  (Beds). — Two  fields  of  heavy  clay  land  were 
laid  down  in  May,  1895,  with  the  following  mixture  of  seeds 
per  acre  : 5 lb.  Phleian  j)7'atense,  2 lb.  Boa  trivialis,  7 lb. 
Dactylis  glo77ie7'ata,  G lb.  Festuca  2^ratensis,  2 lb.  Alopema'us 
p7'ate/isis,  3 lb.  TrifoUv))i  repens,  J lb.  Achillea  Jlillefolia/n. 
This  mixttire  comprised  rather  over  eighteen  million  germi- 
nating seeds,  and  the  total  cost  per  acre  was  11.  Os.  7^d. 
Previous  to  this  it  had  been  found  in  the  neighbourhood  that 
grass  laid  down  lasted  fairly  for  from  three  to  four  years,  hut 
then  “ went  off,”  and  at  the  time  this  experiment  began  the 
grass  land  was  not  reckoned  to  be  worth  above  5s.  an  acre. 
The  Consulting  Botanist,  visiting  the  site  in  1904,  reported  that 
“ in  both  fields  the  grasses  sown  have  kept  hold  on  the  ground, 
though,  from  the  character  of  the  soil,  the  vegetation  is  poor 
and  starved.”  The  fields  have,  however,  in  the  meantime, 
passed  out  of  the  property  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  and  are  not 
further  available. 
2.  Beckerings  Pcu'k,  Ampthill  (Beds.),  Fields,  29G,  297,  and 
322.- — These  fields  are  on  extremely  light  sandy  land  ; a large 
area  is  so  poor  that  it  is  only  used  as  a rabbit  warren.  The 
following  mixture  of  seeds  per  acre  was  laid  down  in  each  field 
in  a corn  crop  in  1895  : 4 Ih.  Phleu77i  p7'atense,  2 lb.  Poa 
t>‘ivialis,  2 lb.  Poa  prateyise,  7 lb.  Dactylis  glonierata,  4 lb. 
Festuca  p/rttensis,  3 lb.  Trifoliw/i  repeixs,  2 lb.  Medicago  sativa, 
I lb.  Achillea  Millefoliion — nineteen  million  germinating  seeds 
in  all.  Cost,  19s.  IW.  per  acre. 
(a)  Field  29G  (Oalley  jET///).— After  laying  down,  the  field 
was  hayed  for  three  years  in  succession,  and  then  fed  for  three 
years.  The  hay  was  very  free  from  weeds  and  the  land  well 
covered  with  herbage.  In  1904  the  field  was  being  fed.  It  had 
by  then  formed  a really  excellent  pasture,  showing  a good 
undergrowth  of  white  clover  and  yarrow.  Cocksfoot  was  abun- 
dant, but  was  by  no  means  too  coarse  or  predominant.  There 
was  very  little  lucerne  to  be  seen,  but  both  Poa  pjratense  and 
Festuca  p7'citensis  were  abundant.  Yoi-kshire  fog  and  rye  grass 
had  come  in,  probably  blown  from  the  adjacent  warren. 
Weeds,  however,  were  very  scarce.  The  tenant  said  that  the 
pasture  had  decidedly  improved  during  the  last  two  years,  the 
clover  having  increased  very  much. 
