12
THE RE-AFFORESTATION OF HAINHAULT.
rich pasturage were not such as would he likely to grow a turf
suitable for recreative purposes, or similar to the natural forest
turf. The seedsman looked at the problem, in fact, from a
purely agricultural standpoint. The mixture of seeds sown
therefore in 1903 on the 40 acres on Hog Hill, the 7 acres on
Dog-kennel Hill and the 16 acres on Lockwood's land was an
expensive mixture costing 33s. 6d. per acre (40 lbs.) and contain-
ing strong growing grasses such as Cocksfoot, Timothy (Phleum
pratense) and Perennial Rye-grass (Lolium perenne). The mixture
proved an admirable one from a farmer's standpoint; the seeds
were sown none too evenly and came up none too well, but the
strong grasses quickly filled up the bare patches, smothered the
couch-grass which at first grew on them, and gave 11/2 tons of
hay the first year, chiefly consisting of Rye-grass with some
Cocksfoot, Timothy and Clover. A swarthe has now formed,
full of Cocksfoot, Timothy and Clover, to which the Rye-grass
has given way, upon which the cattle are constantly grazing.
The Forest Turf. However desirable such a pasturage might be
for cattle it was seen that such seed mixtures would not produce a
fine turf, that it would probably take many years for the sown
grasses to become replaced by grasses natural to the Forest,
and that, if the forest turf was to be quickly reproduced, it would
be wise to include in the mixture seeds of the native grasses and
exclude those which were likely to disappear when left to
natural influences. Typical specimens of the turf, both from
Epping Forest and the neighbouring piece of Hainhault Forest,
were, therefore, submitted to Mr. F. J. Chittenden, F.L.S., for
examination at the County Technical Laboratories. He reported
that the turf chiefly consisted of Sheep's Fescue and Fiorin, with
some Wavy Hair-grass (Aira flexuosa) and Early Hair-grass (A.
praecox), and, in wet places on high ground, Purple Melic (Molinia
caeulea). There was also almost always present Woodrush
(Luzula), Sheep's Sorrel and Heath Bedstraw, together with
Yarrow and Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) in places. Mr.
E. M. Holmes, who was also consulted, had observed ten other
species of grasses in the forest, but these can hardly be con-
sidered as characteristic of the typical forest turf, and included
such grasses as the Hassock-grass (Aira caespitosa), which it was
undesirable to reproduce.