THE RE-AFFORESTATION OF HAINHAULT.
11
30 acres were sown with seeds in a crop of Oats—in the spring
of 1904. Forest-Flat and Cottage-Field were sown in the
autumn of 1904 without a cereal covering crop, and instead
some Italian Rye-grass (Lolium italicum) and Broad-leaved Rape
(the Brassica napus of Mr. Watson), 2 lbs. per acre of each, were
mixed with the grass and clover seeds to afford cover. This
latter method was by no means successful, for the Rape got all
the advantages of the fallow and grew so strong as to smother
some of the young grass, which was further disastrously affected
by the treading of the sheep which were turned in to eat off the
rape, so that in the end the rape had to be mown with a scythe,
and some fresh seed sown. Nor did the fallowing succeed in
eradicating the weeds, for, in addition to the Rape, the field
came up thick with Charlock, which frost, however, partly
destroyed, and in the following spring with Black Bent (Slender
Foxtail). On the other hand, on the 11 acres and the 30 acres
the fallowing was unquestionably beneficial, and nice crops of
hay were obtained in 1904. Nevertheless, it cannot be said that
in the long run much good has resulted from fallowing, and it
is concluded that, for the purpose in view, the expense of fallowing
had better have been avoided, and the year thus lost saved.
The Hawkweeds and Dandelion, the Couch and Black Bent,
which threatened to smother the tenderer grasses on land which
had not been fallowed, have themselves in all cases almost-
disappeared where the land has not subsequently been disturbed.
Liming. The soil most devoid of lime is undoubtedly on the
top of Dog-kennel Hill, where Sheep's-sorrel grows in abundance
when the land is down to grass, and Mayweed (Anthemis cotula)
and White Charlock or Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum),
when it is cultivated, all three of these being lime-hating plants..
The only part of the farm, however, that was limed was ten
acres of Forest Flat which gave so miserable a crop of peas the
previous year that a dressing of gas lime was applied during the 
fallow of 1904. That the lime has improved the pasturage there-
is no doubt; still, taking the farm as a whole and keeping
the recreative purpose in view, it is questionable whether liming.
any considerable area would have been worth the heavy expense
involved.
Seed-mixtures. With regard to the choice of grass seeds, it
was not at first perceived that mixtures which would produce a-