16 THE RE-AFFORESTATION OF HAINHAULT.
years. The Rye-grass lasted longer and still there is some, but
its place has been chiefly taken by Soft Brome (Bromus mollis).
An identical result was observed in one of the Essex Field
Experiments7 on "Laying-down Land to Grass" on Mr. A. B.
Croxon's farm at Burnham-on-Crouch, where each grass sown
by itself was followed by some different self-sown grass. This
natural rotation of grasses is a subject of much interest and
importance, and would well repay further study. It is the more
remarkable in this case, as Soft Brome is not native to the
forest. The 9 acres have now developed a very fair turf.
Though the Red Clover has disappeared, White Clover is
coming fast. The 18 acres lie across the very gravelly hill top
and here the ground is almost bare except for Plantain and
Sorrel, and the Bracken, which is beginning to spread. The
lower portion contains more Soft Brome together with Plantain
and Hawkweed. Little Cabin Hill still has much Soft Brome,
but Fiorin is spreading rapidly and White Clover is beginning to
appear.
Golf-greens.—As an experiment in making golf-greens, patches
in various fields have this autumn been drag-harrowed till much
of the Fiorin has been torn out, and then sown with a mixture
chiefly consisting of Perennial Rye-grass and Sheep's Fescue.
Provided the grass is kept grazed and mown very close, which
encourages stoloniferous and perennial grasses, the method
should prove successful, and at any rate the time lost in plough-
ing and cleaning the patches, and in the struggle of the sown
grasses against the mass of weeds which is sure to appear even
after cleaning, is avoided.
Self-seeding.—The 35 acres of Colonel Lockwood's land was
allowed to seed itself. The two halves of the field had been
cultivated the previous two years exactly alike, but a profound
difference in the natural development of the herbage was observed,
On the upper or northern part a good deal of self-sown grass,
chiefly Annual Meadow-grass (Poa annua), which is very abundant
on the green rides in the forest, appeared in the autumn of 1902.
In the spring of 1903 it was harrowed, broadcasted with White
Clover and rolled. The White Clover germinated well. The
hay that year largely consisted of Rye-grass, this giving way
7 See The Essex Field Experiments, 1896-1901; Part 1. On Permanent Pastures, by T. S.
Dymond, County Technical Laboratories, Chelmsford.