THE RE-AFFORESTATION OF HAINHAULT. 15
Dogstail (Cynosurus cristatus) and less Sheep's Fescue and Fiorin.
The difficulties introduced by the unfortunate expedient of
sowing rape with the mixture to afford cover for the young
seeds have already been referred to; so miserable was the
condition that after the rape had been mown down the field was
harrowed and re-seeded with some old seeds left in the barn, and
rolled. This may account for the abundance of Golden Oat
grass, which, with Crested Dogstail and White Clover, has been
a noticeable constituent of the herbage this year. Throughout
Essex this has been a great year for Golden Oat-grass (Avena
flavescens) and its feathery and delicate yellow heads have added
much to the beauty of the meadows.
Seeding a Lucerne layer. At the time the farm was taken over
Cabin Hill was down with a mixture of Lucerne and Alsike
Clover (Trifolium hybridum) sown in a crop of winter oats in the
previous spring. The seeds were a failure, but as an experiment
the land was left to itself, about 10 lbs. per acre of a cheap seed
mixture being broadcasted after harrowing in the spring of 1903.
The mixture chiefly consisted of Perennial Rye-grass, Meadow
Fescue (Festuca elatior), Hard Fescue (F. duriuscula), Crested
Dogstail and White Clover, and a little Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis
vulneraria) was included as particularly suitable to a Bagshot-
Sand soil, owing to its deep roots. A little Wood Meadow-grass
(Poa nemoralis), which occurs in damp places in the forest turf,
was also included. It cannot be said that this mixture was
altogether a well-chosen one, and it at first made little growth,
the herbage consisting of Fiorin and Silvery Hair-grass (Aira
caryophyllea) with quantities of Hawkweed and Dandelion. But
no field on the farm has illustrated the process of natural
selection more clearly. The Rye-grass and Meadow Fescue
have never made any show at all, the Lucerne and Alsike Clover,
and also the Silvery Hair-grass, have disappeared, and the
herbage now largely consists of Fiorin, Sweet Vernal, Yorkshire
Fog, and Yarrow, little of which was sown; Sheep's Fescue is
also coining.
Natural Rotation.—Little Cabin Hill and the 18 acres and
9 acres on Dog-kennel Hill were down with Red Clover and
Rye-grass when the farm was taken over, and the land has never
been resown. The Red Clover entirely disappeared in two