ON THE MIXED HERBAGE OF PERMANENT MEADOW. 
1263 
far to explain the fluctuations above recorded. The great increase on those plots 
where this plant predominated was in the year 1872, a year when the spring tempera¬ 
ture was above average but the rainfall below it—conditions which may have acted 
partly by discouraging its competitors, and partly by directly favouring its own growth. 
Three other species of the leguminous family, Ononis arvensis, Vicia cracca, and 
Vida sepium, have been found on the plots ; but only one of them, the Ononis 
arvensis, has been so far developed as to come into the samples, then only on one plot— 
that with superphosphate of lime alone, and in quite insignificant amount. 
The Miscellaneous Plants. 
The plants included under this heading comprise, in all, 59 species (exclusive of 
Fungi), distributed through 44 genera and 20 families. A detailed list of these 
Orders, genera, and species is given at pp. 1210—11. Representatives of some of these 
families form a conspicuous portion of the herbage on some of the plots, while on 
others they are not found at all. The relative proportions also in which they occur 
are exceedingly different. 
The plants which have occurred at some time in the samples from all the plots, or 
which have been observed during growth on all, are Ranunculus acris, Conopodium 
denudatum, Achillea Millefolium, Rumex Acetosa, Luzula campestris, and Hypnum 
squarrosum. The following have occurred on a large number of the plots : Ranunculus 
hulbosus, R. repens, R. Ficaria, Stellaria graminea, Cerastium triviale, Pimpinella 
Saxifraga, Heracleum Sphondylium, Galium verum, Scabiosa arvensis, Centaurea nigra. 
Taraxacum officinale, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica Chamcedrys, and Car ex prcecox. 
The plants which have only been observed on a small number of plots are : Ranunculus 
auricomus, Cardamine pratensis, Stellaria Holostea, Hypericum perforatum, Poten- 
tilla reptans, P. Fragariastrum, Alchemilla vulgaris, Agrimonia Fupatoria, Poterium 
Sanguisorba, Spircea Ulmaria, Anthriscus sylvestris, Daucus Carota, Galium Aparine, 
Carduus arvensis, Beilis perennis, Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum, Senecio erucifolius, 
Hypochceris radicata, Tragopogon pratensis, Leontodon hispidus, L. autumnalis, Sonchus 
oleraceus, Hieracium Pilosella, Plantago media, Veronica serpyllifolia, V. officinalis, 
Thymus Serpyllum, Prunellai vulgaris, Ajuga reptans, Primula veris, Rumex cmspus, 
R. obtusifolius, Orchis Morio, Scilla nutans, Fritillaria Meleagris, Ornithogalum 
umbellatum, and Ophioglossum vulgatum. 
The occurrence of certain plants on all or on a majority of the plots seems to indi¬ 
cate that the plants in question are in a considerable degree independent of manurial 
influence, or are able to adapt themselves to circumstances better than others—a power 
arising probably from diverse characteristics as to habit and internal structure (see 
ante p. 1222). The proportions, however, in which particular plants are found depend 
very greatly on manurial agency and association. 
In the list given at pp. 1210-1.1 the plants are arranged in botanical order; but in dis- 
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