OBSERVATIONS OK GRASSES. 3S7 



fha( was occupied by his father "johen he ii:as a 

 boy^ 'Was covered with a kind of grafs^ that main^ 

 tained five farm-horfes in good heart from Afril to, 

 the end of harvefl ivithotit giving them any other 

 kind of food, and that it yielded more than they 

 could eat. He at my defire brought me fome of th? 

 grafs^ which proved to be the flote FESCUE with 

 a mixture of themarfj BENT i whether this lafl 

 contributes much towards furnifhingfo good pafiure 

 for horfes i cannot fay. Jbey both throw out roots 

 at the joynts of the Jialks^ and therefore likely to 

 grow to a great length, In the index of dubious 

 plants at the end of Ray's Sy nop/is, there is mention 

 made of a grafs under the name of Gra^uen ca- 

 ninumfupinum longiffimum, growing not far from 

 Salifbury 2^3^ feet long. This mufi by its length be 

 a grafs with a creeping fialk \ and that there is 

 a grafs in Wiltfhire growing in watery meadows 

 fo valuable, that an acre of it lets from 10 to 12 

 pounds^ i have been informed by feveral perfons. 

 Thefe circumfiances incline me to think it muft be 

 the flote fef cue \ but whatever grafs it be, it cer- 

 tainly muft deferve to be inquired after* 



There is a clanminefs on the ear of the flote 

 fefcue when the feeds are ripe that taftes like honey, 

 ^s i have of ten found, and for this reaf on perhaps 

 {hey are called -manna feeds. 



C C - Linno'us 



