G E N E R A L O B S E R V A T I O N S
O N T H E
Advantage which may refult from the Introdu&ion o f the Seeds of our beft G rasses.
THAT much of our meadow and pafture land may be rendered infinitely more valuable than it is at prefent, by the
introduftion of Tome of our beft grades, is an opinion which has long prevailed among many of the more enlightened
agriculturifts of the prefent age. And while fome of tfiefe have endeavoured to excite the hufbandman to colleCt and
cultivate feeds of this fort, by writings fraught with the foundeft reafoning *; others have attempted, to attraft him by the
offers of well-direfted premiumsb. But, hitherto, neither the writings of the one, however convincing, nor the premiums
of the other, however alluring, have been productive of the defired effe£t: Ray-Qrafs (till continues to be the only grafs
whofe feeds can be purchafed for the purpofe of laying down meadow and pafture land; and how inadequate that grafs
is for fuch a purpofe, is known to every intelligent farmer. Why indeed the Lolium perenne' Ihould originally have been
made ufe of, in preference to all the other grafles, cannot, perhaps, be fatisfa&orily accounted for; mod probably it owes
its introduction to accident, or to its being a common grafs whofe feeds were eafily collected, rather than to its being preferred
from an inveftigation of its merits compared with the others; however this may be, there appears to be no reafon for
excluding the others, for it would appear exceedingly improbable that of upwards of a hundred grafles'1 growing wild in this
country, the Author of Nature ihould have created one only as fuitable to be cultivated for pafturage or fodder.
Taking it for granted then, that there are other.grafles, fuperiorin many refpeCls to the Rye-Grafs, this queftion naturally
arifes :—How comes it that they have not found their way into general ufe ? To this it may be anfwered; improvements in
any fcience, but more efpecially agriculture, are flow in their advances; and, perhaps, no clafs of men adheres more .perti-
nacioufly- to. old practices than the farmer. ' ft
The difficulty of diftinguifhing the grafles one from another, has r
> doubt proved one grand obftacle; many of thefe .plants
are fo much alike, that the moft difcerning botanift is often at a loJ to know fome of them apart; if fo, how eafily may .the
hufbandman be detered from the arduous talk.
There is another caufe which may. have operated againft their, introduction.: grafles, as well as other plants, have been
frequently recommended, from a partial and limited obfervation of them, by perfqns who neither knew them well as
botanifts or agriculturifts, or who have recommended them, merely to gain by the credulity of the public.
But, perhaps, the chief reafon has been, that perfqns who might be expeCted to make the improvements, have not had
the, means fairly put into their hands of making the experiment. Whether the method we have adopted on this occafion,
may be more fuccefsful than thofe of our predeceflors, muft be determined by the event. From the numerous applications
made to me, by a varietyof gentlemen, for grafs feeds, it has appeared incumbent on me to do fomething which might
.gratify them, and render the public an effibntial fervice ; I wifh, at leaft, to put it into their power to decide on a matter
which hasba£«<k>«g agitated, and from which I am far from being the only one that entertains the moft fanguiiie hopes of
its proving,£1' great national advantage.
The grafles recommended will I am certain, do all-that our natural graffes can do: theyare fix of thofe. which conftitute
the bulk of our beft paftures; moft of them are early, all of them are productive, and they are adapted to fuch foils and
fituations as are proper for meadows and paftures.
But let na one expeCl them to perform wonders ; .for, after all, they-are but grafles, and, as fuch, are liable to produce
great or fmall crops, according to particular feafons, or to the fertility or barrennefs of the foil on which they are fown.
O b ser v a t io n s on the G R A S SE S recommended,and contained in the Pa c k e t .
I. A n t h o x a n t h u m O d o r a t u m . Sweet-Scented Vernal-Grafs. Fig. 1.
NEXT to the Cynofurus Ccerulcus, or Blue Dogs-Fail Grafs, this, of all our Englifh grafles, comes firft into bloflom; it is
therefore valuable as an early grafs; it is valuable alfo for its readinefs to grow in all kinds of foil and fituation, being
found in bogs, in woods (efpecially fuch as are of low growth, or have had the underwood cut down) in rich meadows,
and in dry paftures; in point of crop, it is not fo produftive as fome, yet more fo than others; cattle appear to be fond of
it, and it is well known to be the only Englifh grafs which is odoriferous; the agreeable fcent of new-made hay arifes
entirely from this grafs, hence its name ofodorahtm, or fweet-fcented; the green leaves, when bruifed, readily impart this
perfume to the fingers, by which means the foliage may At all times be known; and perfons not deeply (killed in Botany,
may diftinguifh it when in bloflom, by its having only two threads or ftamina to each flower.
Of the feveral grafles here recommended, it is the leaft productive in point of feed.
* “ It is wonderful to fee how long mankind has neglefted to make a proper advantage of plants of fuch importance, and which, in almoft every country,
!! are the chief food of cattle. The farmer, for want of diftinguifhing and felefting grafles for feed, fills his paftures either with weeds, or bad or improper
“ grafles; when, by making a right choice, after fome trials, he might be fure of the beft grafs, and in the greateft abundance that his land admits of. At
“ prefent, it a- farmer wants to lay down his land to grafs, what does he do ? He either takes his feeds indiferiminately from his own foul hay-rick, or fends to
“ his next neighbour for a fupply. By this means, befides a certain mixture of all forts of rubbifh, which muft neceffarily happen : if he chances to have a large
“ proportion of good feeds, it is not unlikely but that, what he intends for dry land may come from moift, where it grew naturally, and the contrary. This
“ is fuch a flovenly method of proceeding, as one would think could not poflibly prevail univerfally; yet this is the cafe as to all grafles, except the Ray-Grafs,
“ and what is known in fome few counties by the name of the Suffolk-Grafs (Poa annua); and this latter inftance is owing, I believe, more to the foil; than
*' any care of the hufbandman. Now, would the farmer be at the pains of feparating, once in his life, half a pint or a pint of the diflerent kinds of graft
“ feeds, and take care to fow them feparately; in a very little time, he would have wherewithal to flock his farm properly according to the nature of each foil;
and might, at the fame time, fprcad thefe feeds feparately over the nation, by fupplying the feed-fhops. The number of grafles fit for the farmer is, I believe,
" fmall; perhaps, half a dozen; or half afeore, are all he need to cultivate ; and how fmall the trouble would be of fuch a talk, and how great the benefit,
: “ muft be obvious to every one at firft fight. Would not any one be looked on as wild, who Ihould fow wheat, barley, oats, rye, peafe, beans, vetches,
“ buck-wheat, turnips, and weeds of all forts, together f Yet, how is it much lefs abfurd, to do what is equivalent, in relation to grafles." Stillingjlcet's
Mi/c. Trails, Edit. z. fi. 365.
" Meadow and pafture land is oftencr ncgle&ed than ploughed ground, notwithftanding it generally admits of a,much greater proportion of improvement:
“ The belt grafles cannot be colledted' at too great an expence; for, I have feen a fmall fpot of land, in the middle of a large piece, which was laid down
“ twelve or fourteen years fince, by Mr. Stillingfleet, upon the eftate of Mr. Price, ofFoxley, in Herefordfhire, with fome choice feeds, at the fame time when
" the remainder of the field was laid down with common feeds; and this fpot. is confiderably better than the reft. It not only appeared fo to my judgment,
“ but was allowed to be fo by Mr. Price’s bailiff, who was well acquainted with its produce.
“ From Mr Stillingfleet's experiments, and my' own obfervations, I am clearly of opinion, that any perfon who has land calculated for graft, may improve
“ it, by this method of laying it down, to a much greater degree than he can in the ufual way." Kent's Hints to Gentlemen of Landed Property. See alfo,
Anderfon's EJTays on Agriculture and Rural Affairs, z vols. 8i>o. in which this fubjedt, among a varietyof others, is very copioufly and ably handled; and, on the
perufal of which, one cannot but ferioufly lament, that many of the ufeful hints of the ingenious author, are rendered abortive, from his want of Botanical
’ Society for the Encouragement .of Manufactures, Arts, and Commerce.—« Ray, orRye-Graft.— d The word greffes is here underftood in its ftrifl fenfe.
. II. A l O P E C U R U S