This paper traces the history of British grassland farming. A perusal of the available accounts of early British farming indicates that the practice was to crop the land till it no longer carried payable crops, then to leave it to restore fertility by resting. Nothing was sown on it and the 'natural' herbage was allowed to grow at sweet will. This natural herbage consisted largely of weeds, and this may account for the complete and thorough distribution and accumulaticn of weeds and weed seeds in Biitish farm lands.