In luch diftricts of Saxony as are celebrated for thegoodnefs of their meaddws, it aKvays makes a confute ruble part 
of the hay ; and the fame remark has been made by Mr. Stillxngfleet and Proteflor Kalm in England, lefpefting 
the beft meadows about London. , r : n ~ 
The Meadow Foxtail is one of thofe grades which appear firft in the fpring, and fometimes blow t "' cc 1 
f4„ year * * * § . In relpeft to flowering, it obi'eryes nearly the fame tune as the A„th m a«fhm, ol«ral„m In C.et many ,t 
puts forth its filvcry ipikes about the beginning of May +, when the feed is ripe, which with us takes place before 
hay-making }, the fpike remains unchanged in its fh-ipe for feme time ; the little hulks containing the teed may 
eafily be dripped oft', but fall off very {lowly of themlelves. . , 
Experience proves that the Meadow Foxtail-grats has a power of vegetating quickly. Its (hoot, proceed with 
fuel) vigour, that it may very well be cut three times in a year. Its (folks are ftrong, and provided with large 
leaves, which are foft and juicy. Their tafte is as that of good fodder-grals ought to be, lweetlfh and agreeable, 
having, when made into hay, neither the hardnefs of draw, nor the roughueis or unpleafant tafte attendant on 
feme of the other pates ; we may therefore conlider it as holding the fird place among the good grades either 
ufed as ftelh fodder, or made into hay, efpeci,Jly for the larger cattle. Though the Iheep m Inch meadows as 
abound with this grafs, do not improve in the finenefs of their wool, yet they give a preference to it, both green 
and dried. On the whole, we may with truth aflert, that hay is better in proportion to the quantity of Meadow 
Foxtail-grafs there is among it ; not to mention that fuch hay has the advantage in the weight, and confequently 
goes farther than hay made of the finer grafles. . . , . 
In the northern countries, Sweden efpecially, the meadows are frequently laid wane by a molt delti uctive cater- 
pillar, which produces a moth called, by Linnaeus, P balena graminis : it has been dilcovered, that the Alopecurus 
pratenfis remains untouched by this deftructive infedl ; fo tar, therefore, from injuring this grafs, it gives it an 
opportunity, by weakening and dell raying the others, to extend itfelf farther ; but though its particular tafte or 
forward growth exempts it from the ravages of this fpecies of caterpillar, there is another which is particularly 
fond of it, viz. the P balena potatoria , yet as this feeds iingly on its foliage, and never increafes greatly, it luffers 
lime rrom it . ... - 
As this grafs, therefore, appears to be our author of lo much confequence in the making and improving of 
meadows and paftures, he proceeds to give iome account how this improvement may be effected. _ 
In this bufmefs the firft thing of moment, he oblerves, is the neceflary choice and preparation of the ground; 
if that be in the power of the cultivator, and as the Meadow Foxtail is found neither to thrive in a foil that is 
quite dry, or quite wet, he prefers a wet one rendered moderately dry by draining. 
After procuring a piece of ground naturally tit, or rendered fo by art, he recommends it to be ploughed up 
immediately after harveft, before the wet feafon lets in, in which ftate it is to remain all the winter; the froft 
breaking the clods, renders it fit for fowing on in the fpring, at which time you muft throw in your feeds of the 
Meadow Foxtail, mixed with other proper pafture herbs ||, together with a crop of oats^f; the latter, when fufficiently 
grown, may be cut for fodder. 
A meadow, thus improved, requires all the care neceflary in the management of meadows ; in particular, a 
copious watering after hay-making, if the feafon prove unufually dry, muft not be omitted. If after fome years 
the Ibil Ihould become bound, or noxious plants increafe in fuch a manner as to make the meadow lels produ&ive, 
which often happens when the foil or fituation is unfavourable, the meadow muft be broken up and frelh fown. 
The procuring of the feed, requifite even for a tolerably large fowing, is attended with but little difficulty, if 
we can only get fome flips or roots of this grafs. The great number of feeds which grow upon one fpike, of 
which more than one fpring from each flip ; the double crop in one fummer, and the rapid growth of this grafs, 
evince this fufficiently. The gathering of the feed itfelf is very eafy ; it needs only to be ftripped off with the 
hand, and put in a bag, and if there be a large quantity together, fpread out and dried, even the hay-leed of fuch 
meadows as abound with Meadow Foxtail is ufeful in fowing ; but we muft well obferve how it is mixed : good 
hay-leed Ihould contain a greater proportion of grafs-feeds than of other herbs ; the latter muft be efculent and 
nutritive, without any mixture of hard, woody, or fucculent ones, which corrupt the hay ; much lefs Ihould. it 
contain taftelefs, acrid, or poifonous plants. But it may be alked, where is fuch hay- feed to be obtained? 
Certainly the meadows are rare which contain a mixture of proper plants unadulterated with noxious ones; hence 
the beft method will be to coiled feparately the feeds of the raoft ufeful grafles and meadow plants, to increafe 
them fingly, to compound the hay-feed of them, and to fovv therewith, at firft, fmall meadows, from whence we 
may, in procefs of time, obtain a fufficient ftock of feed for a more general cultivation. 
* This difpofition of grafles to flower more than once in the fame year, is perhaps deferving of more attention than may have hitherto been paid 
to it. We have noticed it to take place ftrongly in the prefent grafs, the yellow Oat, the tall Oat, and fome others; on the contrary, there is one 
grafs, «is. the Poa pratenjis, already figured, which we have never obierved to (hew the lead difpofition to throw up a flowering Hem twice in the fame 
year. While this may ferve as an additional character, whereby it may be diftinguiflied from the Poa trivialis, it may alfo recommend it as a l'ui table 
grafs forextenfive lawns, where bents are troublefome, and offend the eye. We obferved, in treating of the Poa pratenfis, that its root was of the 
creeping kind; it will probably be found, thac all thofe grades which have that fort of root flower but once in a feafon ; and if we conlider a creeping, 
root as fimilar in its ceconomy to a bulb, we (hall not be at a lofs to account for it. 
t Its ufual time of flowering with us. 
J In the neighbourhood of London, hay-making generally commences three or four weeks fooner than it does fifty ipiles from town. Whether this. 
Jjrat'tice hath arifen from the richnefs of foil accelerating the growth of the herbage, or from the meadows abounding more with early grafles, it may 
perhaps be difficult to determine ; but certainly, by this pratflice, we reap all the advantages from thofe early grafles which are loll by longer delay ; 
and heur e the feeds of our hay-lofts muft be proportionably better than thofe at a diftance, as early grafs is preferable to late. 
§ In the papers of the Bath Agricultural Society, voh II p. 79. the Rev. Mr. Swayne of Puckle Church, in Gloucefterfltire, gives an account pf 
a very minute infeft, which, feeding within the hulks of the (pikes, renders them barren; we (hall quote his own words. w On rubbing out the 
“ hulks, when I judged the feed to be approaching to ripenefs, I found almoft every fced-veffel occupied by a foft fubftance, of a deep yellow or 
“ orange colour, no ways refemb'ing a feed, ■ On applying the microfcope, this fubftance proved to be a congeries of animalcules, which being (hook 
“ out on a fliect of whitepaper, and leparatcd from each other, difplayed the exaft (hape and motion of thole infers which are oftentimes found in 
“ hams and bacon, and which are known among houfewives by the name of hoppers. The flies likewife, which thefe caterpillars produce, wens 
“ found to be very like the hopper flics, only infinitely fmaller.” 
|| We ihould prefer the latter end of Augull, or beginning of September, for the purpofe of fowing grafs feeds, provided the feafon proved 
favourable. 
Should the land intended to be laid down be very foul, we apprehend, repeated ploughings and harrowings, and that for more than one fealor. 
would be neceflary. Farmers are divided in their opinions refpeding the propriety of fowing Oats or Barley with grafs-feeds ; fome apprehending, 
that the corn does the young grafs more barm by robbing it of its nonrilhment, than the (hade or (helter afforded' thereby does, it good. 
