If we examine our meadows, paftures, and downs, we fhall find them pretty much ill a fete of nature, 
excepting thofe paftures which of later years have been fown with Rye Grafs and Clover , full of an lndilcn- 
minate mixture of plants, fome of which afford good, others bad food ; fome good crops, others lcarce any 
crops at all. That I may not be thought to fpeak at random on this matter, I fhall here mention a few 
facts to corroborate what I have afl'erted. 
My very worthy and much efteemed friend Thomas White, Efq ; with a view to the afcertaining the 
produce of feveral downs and hilly paftures fed on by fheep, procured from each of the undermentioned differen t downs 
and commons. In Hampfhire and Suffex, a turf which, though not larger than about fix inches in diameter, 
and chofen as pure as any part of the pafturage, produced, on being planted in a garden, the following plants. 
Turf from Selborn Common. 
1 Plantago lanceolata. 
2 Agroftis capillaris. 
3 Avena Jlavefcens. 
4 Dadiylis glomeratus . 
j Fejluca duriufcula. 
6 Poa annua. 
7 Cynofurus crjjlatus. 
8 Trifolium repens. 
9 Crepis tedtorum. 
10 Achillea Millefolium. 
1 1 Galium verum. 
12 Hypocharis radicata. 
13 Hteracium Pilofella. 
14 "Thymus Serpyllum. 
Narrow-leaved Plantain. 
Fine panicled Agroftis, 
Yellow Oat Grafs. 
Rough Cocksfoot Grafs. 
Hard Fefcue Grafs. 
Common dwarf Poa. 
Crefted Dogs-tail. 
Creeping or Dutch Clover. 
Smooth Succory Hawkweed. 
Y arrow. 
Y ellow Ladies Bedftraw. 
Long-rooted Hawkweed. 
Moufe-ear Chickvveed. 
Wild Thyme. 
Turf from Oakh anger. 
1 Trifolium repens . 
2 Holcus lanatus. 
3 Poa annua. 
4 Agro/lis capillaris. 
5 palufrls. 
Creeping or Dutch Clover. 
Meadow Soft Grals. 
Common dwarf Poa. 
Fine panicled Agroftis. 
Marfh Agroftis. 
Turf from Deortun. 
1 Ranunculus repens. 
2 Lolium perenne. 
3 Holcus lanatus. 
4 Prunella vulgaris. 
5 Fefuca duriufcula. 
6 Agroftis paluftris. 
7 Trifolium repens. 
8 Crepis teEkorum. 
9 Achillee a Millefolium. 
Creeping Crowfoot. 
Ray Grafs or perennial Darnel. 
Meadow foft Grafs. 
Self-heal. 
Hard Fefcue Grafs. 
Marfh Agroftis. 
Creeping or Dutch Clover. 
Smooth Succory Hawkweed. 
Y arrow. 
Turf from Glynd Hill. 
1 Medicago lupulina. 
2 Achillaa Millefolium. 
3 Poa pratenfs. 
Black-feeded Medick, Trefoil 
or Nonfuch. 
Yarrow. 
Smooth-ftalk’d Meadow Grafs. 
Turf from Glynd Hill. 
4 Avena Jlavefcens. 
5 Fejluca duriufcula. 
6 ovina. 
7 Hteracium Pilofella. 
8 Agrojlis capillaris. 
9 Trifolium repens. 
i o Thymus Serpyllum. 
Yellow Oat Grafs. 
Hard Fefcue Grafs. 
Sheeps Fefcue Grafs. 
Moufe-ear Hawkweed 
Fine panicled Agroftis. 
Creeping or Dutch Clover. 
Wild Thyme. 
Turf from Short Heath. 
1 Fefuca bromoides. 
2 Aira preecox. 
3 Juncus campefris. 
4 Poa annua. 
5 Agrofis capillaris. 
Barren Fefcue Grafs. 
Early Aira. 
Hairy Rufh. 
Common dwarf Poa. 
Fine panicled Agroftis. 
Turf from Mount Cabron. 
1 Rumex acetofa. 
2 Daucus carola. 
3 Medicago lupulina. 
4 Poterium fanguiforba. 
5 Fefuca duriufcula. 
Common Sorrel Dock. 
Wild Carrot. 
Black-feeded Medick, Trefoil 
or Nonfuch. 
Burnet. 
Hard Fefcue Grafs. 
6 Avena favefeens. Yellow Oat Grafs. 
Turf from Ringmer Down. 
1 Linum catharticum. 
2 Scabiofa columbaria. 
3 Ornithopus perpafhus. 
4 Avena favefeens. 
5 Fefuca duriufcula. 
6 Trifolium repens. 
7 Hypocheeris radicata. 
8 Crepis te dt orum. 
9 Lotus corniculata. 
10 Juncus campefris. 
1 1 Hieracium pilofella. 
12 Feftuca ovina. 
1 3 Thymus Serpyllum. 
14 Poa prater Jis. 
Purging Flax. 
Sheeps Scabious. 
Bird’s-foot:. 
Yellow Oat Grafs. 
Hard Fefcue Grafs. 
Creeping or Dutch Clover. 
Long-rooted Hawkweed. 
Smooth Succory Hawkweed. 
Bird’s-foot Trefoil. 
Hairy Rufh. 
Moufe-ear Hawkweed. 
Sheeps Fefcue Grafs. 
Wild Thyme. 
Smooth-ftalk’d Meadow Grafs- 
Thefe experiments prove that our downs and commons, which we in general confider as more free from 
weeds than moft of our paftures, are altogether an aflbmblage of different plants; and our meadows are much the 
fame. It mult be allowed that there is a confiderable difference in them ; one meadow, or traift of land ihall 
naturally contain a greater number of good graffes than another ; another fhall produce little more than a mixture 
of unprofitable weeds, fuch as Crowfoot, particularly the creeping fort, Docks , Sorrel, Thfles, Mallows , Yarrow 
Knapweed Nettles Ragwort, tie. moft of which having ftrong perennial or creeping roots, continue in the ground’ 
impoverifh it, and overun the few good grafles there are ; lb that the ground is very little worth. If the ground 
be manured, the unprofitable and noxious plants are thereby benefited as well asthegrafs ; for it is the extremity of 
folly to fuppofe that manure fhall produce good plants if the mots or feeds of them were not in the ground before. 
It muft be allowed, however, that it there be in the; meadow any ftrong growing grafles, they may from manure 
overtop and deftroy many annual plants, but not thofe above-mentioned, which with many others, will grow with 
their growth and ftrengthen with their ftrength. fa 
f ll n °P his kind i aI ? ne ’ wl > ich . P erha P s . moft mifehievous ; thefe being vifiblc and 
whXiSh^ r n Td 4 i 4' at the fame timc the S r ° und to overun with bad grafles, 
which not being fo eafily diftingmlhed by the Farmer, cannot be fo readily deftroyed. Now graffes may be confidered 
nr,rhf„v U a r rib rid “'/“““j e 4 °^ S' 4 the ? fcl ' , “. P™duce fo fmall a crop\s to bo worth little or 
nothing, as the early and Jifoei Hair Grafs and Wall Poa : they may, either from their ranknefs, roughnefs, or fome 
0 her queues not perceptible to us be Inch as cattle are not fond of, as Cat,-, ail Grafs, Rough Cocklfiol and fome 
others : they may die on the ground and give the meadows a dead and difagreeable Appearance in the winter ”s 
fome of the fpecies of Agrojlis : or they may blow late in the futnmer, and be not fit for cutting ’tiU moft of’ the 
Hern So^nt^fo 1 * * ! ^ “ 4 ^ ‘ n * ,dow “V be fillei noxious plants as equally as if they 
Surely then it muft be worth the perfons while, who would wifli to lay down his land for meadow or nafture 
or improve what is already bad, to be at feme pams and expence about it, and fow if with as much clut on as S 
would to produce a crop of fine Wheat ; the more fo indeed, as when his land is once filled with gooT graffes 
1 remains a good meadow or good pafture forever, which will always look pleafing, and if properlv nfanured and 
the feafon prove not remarkably unfavourable, will each year produce a plentiful a-op. P P 7 d ’ and 
I have already obferved, in fpeaking of the Poa pratenfs, that a good meadow muft confift of a variety of graffes 
which ought all to come into bloom nearly at the lame time; and if the graffes be of the ri Jbt l- 1 ,1 S ■?! 
begin to blow, and the whole meadow be fit for mowing the laft week in May, The adUntagfs of hi ea kYi 
making are very confiderable : this part of the year is very often extremely favourable in point of weather to ^ 
making of hay : it is not poftponed to as to interfere with the harveft : cattle may be turnedlhe fooneHnto tbe r Id 
to graze ; or another crop of hay be produced in good time for the fecolid making. * mt0 da 
