310 On Draining Machines.[May

Mr. Martyn, in his Flora Ruſtica, has given an excellent figure of the Cow Grafs, taken from plants growing in Mr. Curties’s garden, at Brompton. They were ſent him out of Hampſhire. On comparing them with other plants of the wild broad clover, which he had colle&ted from diferent parts. of Batterſea field, no difference was diſcovered, except that in the latter, the heads of flowers are ſmall, the ſtalks green and without hairs till they approach the flowers, which appear earlier than thoſe of Cow Grafs.

The Rev. Mr. Onley, of Eſſex, in the fourth volume of the Annals of Agriculture aſſerts, that his Perennial Seed Clover or Cow Grafs, has been equal in paſturage to the moſt luxuriant common clover, and his butter from it equal to the fineſt natural graſs. The ſame gentleman in the third volume of the ſame work, ſpeaks of it as ſuppoſed not to hove the cattle as the com- mon clover. He’ laid fbwn with! rob periacte of ſeed with ſpring corn.

Mr. Parkinſon, in his late publication called, The Experienced Farmer, aſſerts, that he has ſeen a much greater crop from Cow Graß, on the ſame ſort of land, and in the ſame ſeaſon, that he ¿vérdid JF RéACIovért Cow! Grafs will grow to Aen great height and detights in a clayey ſoil, I have ſcen it riſe fix feet bigh among thorns, and whins, and goſs. He does not think Cow Grafs is of a very feeding nature. It is a later plant than the Red Clover, and the ſheep do not like it ſo well. He has ſéen one fide of a field’ ſown’ with Cow Grafs, and the other aA Clover. The ſheep ate the Clover bare, but left the Cow

Traſs.

Mr, Billingſley, in his Survey of Somerſetſhire, ſays that Marl Graſs is the ſpontaneous production of the Marl Land.

Té was firſt noticed or colle&ed 50 or 60 years ago, by Mr. Tames, who lived on a large farm belonging to the Marquis of Bath, in the pariſh of Chilcompton. By his affiduity in pre- ſerving and propagating the ſeeds, it became common N the courſe of a few years, and has been conſidered ever fince ás 2 valuable ſubſtitute for Red or Broad Clover, to which it bears a ſtriking analogy; with this difference, however, that it con- tinues longer in the land.

April 30. ABRAHAM WILKINSON, M. D. — ON SURFACE-DRAINING MACHINES. To the Editer of the Commercial and Agricultural Magazine.

SIR,

RAINING is now ſo generally underſtood to be. one of the moſt important branches of pradtical agriculture» that any improvement in the mode of performing that operati» however

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