300 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



indicators of condition of soil, some electing to grow 

 under agrarian conditions, in some poor soils, some in 

 ill-drained lands, or even in water, and others preferring 

 the sea-shore ; and we think it not too much to assert 

 that an attention to the kinds and condition of growth of 

 various species of grasses is capable of informing us, not 

 only as to the broad phases of character connected with 

 land, but of all the minute inflections of structure, con- 

 dition, climate, elevation, moisture, dryness, and others ; 

 and hence then we look upon the study of grasses as of 

 the utmost importance to those who let a farm, as to 

 be who takes it ; to the land surveyor who has to value 

 it, as to the tenant who rents it. Take for example the 

 third genus on our list ; it has but three species, and yet 

 each exists under totally different circumstances. Thus — 



Alopecurus — Foxtail : 



A. pratensis — meadow ; a denizen of rich pas- 

 tures. 



A. geniculatus — kneeling; the inhabitant of the 

 wet swag, or shallow water-course. 



A, agresUs — slender field ; a plant of cold clayey 

 arable. 



Again, as an example of the kind of evidence relating 

 to the condition of soil which may be afforded by grasses' 

 compare the following account by a botanist, of the 

 common quaking grass, with that of an experimental 

 chemist. 



Briza,media — quaking grass — is so called from the 

 restlessness of its pendulous flowers, which are compara- 

 tively heavy, and balanced on delicate rounded pedicels. 

 Though a beautiful species, it is of no use agriculturally ; 

 however, as it grows for the most part in poor, 

 stiff, undrained clays, it may always serve by its 

 presence or absence as an indication of condition. 

 If present in quantity we may predicate a stiff 

 unmitigated clay, such as are found in the Lias 

 shales, Oxford clay, Forest marble, and London clays, 

 and especially where not visited by local deposits. 

 Undrained or otherwise badly cultivated, these forma- 

 tions will be found to afford too much of this spe- 

 cies, and far too little of those of a better quality. If, 

 however, the soil be merely wet, and not of a decidedly 

 stiff description, less of the quaking grass will occur ; 

 but the specimens will be far larger in size, and equally 

 useless as food," — Buckman on British Grasses, 

 Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, vol. xvii. 



Our next extract is from a report of experiments 

 with different manures, thus — 



-" Briza media — common quaking grass. This 

 grass is reputed to thrive best on poor soils, to afford 

 a small yield, not to be liked by cattle, and to be dis- 

 couraged by manuring. It flowers in June. 



" The quaking grass amounted to 2 per cent, in the 

 sample of the produce from the unmanured land. It was 

 only found in two cases in the manured produce, and 

 then in even less proportion than in the unmanured. In 

 the most highly-manured produce none whatever of it 

 was to be found. The reduction or entire exclusion by 

 manuring, is consistent with the character of this grass 

 as given above. It would seem, therefore, that it 

 is not likely to be tioublesome on good land, and that 

 it is easy of expulsion by good manuring." — Laioes' 

 Report, Agricultural Journal, vol. xx. 



Facts like these, from such independent sources— from 

 the Botanical Observer, confirmed as the result of 

 chemical investigation— may well be left to speak for 

 the practical importance of an inquiry into the plants of 

 our meadows and pastures. 



In our table of the distribution of the British meadow 

 and pasture grasses, the following general conclusions 

 were arrived at as to their habitats^ viz. ; 



Speeiea. 



1. In meadows and pastures, occur 24 



2. In the agrarian fields 26 



3. Iq the woods and thickets , 14 



4. On the moor and heath 27 



5. In water .. 7 



6. By the sea-side, within the influence of saline 



breezes 21 



Total , 119 



From this it follows that every locality has species 

 peculiar to itself, and that those of the meadow by no 

 means form the largest group. We shall now, however, 

 give a few notes upon the distinctive characteristics of 

 the six groups as laid down above. 



Group 1. — Here then it will be found that our first 

 group is somev/hat remarkable, as it shows that in a pre- 

 eminently pastoral country, where grasses grow so re- 

 markably well, only a little more than one-fourth of 

 the 8j)ecies of grasses belong to the meadow, and even 

 these, if we carefully examine them in the following allo- 

 cation, may be very considerably lessened : 



LIST OP THE USUAL SPECIES OF GRASSES OF THE 

 MEADOW : 



1. Anthoxanthum odoratum — Sweet vernal. 



2. Alopecurus pratensis— Meadow foxtail. 



3. Phleum prateuse — Timothy or catstail. 



4. Phleum Bcehmeri — Boehmer'a catatail, 



5. Agrostis alba vars — White bent. 



6. Agrostis canina — Common bent. 



7. Aira flexuoea — Wavy Hair-grass. 



8. Aira cristata (Koeleria) — Crested hair-graas. 



9. Holcus lanatus — Soft grass. 



10. Arrhenatherum avenaceum — Oat-like grass. 



11. Cynosurus cristatus — Crested dogstail. 

 12 Hordeum pratensis — Meadow barley. 



13. Lolium perenne — Perennial rye. 



14. Poa pratensis— Smooth meadow grass. 



15. Poa tnvialis — Rough meadow grass. 



16. Briza media — Quaking grass. 



17. Dactylis glomerata — Cocksfoot. 



18. Festuca, pratensis — Meadow fescue. 



19. Festuca Icliacea — Rye fescue. 



20. Festuca ovina — Sheep's fescue. 



21. Festuca duriuseula — Hard fescue. 



22. Bronius erectus — Upright brome. 



23. Aveca pubescens — Hairy oat-grass. 



24. Avena flavescens — Yellow oat-grass. 



Now, if we dissect even this limited list, we shall find 

 that one-third only belong to what may be termed useful 

 grasses : the rest mark not the best conditions for a 

 meadow. They may be arranged according to their num- 

 bers, as follow : 



1. Good deep Meadow soils, 



2,3,13, 14, 15,17, 18, 19 8 



2. Thin Meadow, 



3. Poor Clays, 



9,11,13 3 



4. Uplands, 



7,10,23,24 4 



Total 24 



From these data it follows that only about eight 

 species of grasses are really of the best ; all the others 

 are inferior, or not so good ; and if we look carefully 

 to the examples which may come before us of the four 

 kinds of meadow just tabulated, we shall most certainly 

 find that if the grasses are more mixed than stated — and 

 it will be next to impossible to define their limits with 

 absolute exactitude — yet they will prevail upon the plan 

 stated J any admixture, for example, of 2 with 1, or 3 or 

 4 with 2, will be exceptional cases, and the interloping 

 specimens will ever be starved, and grow in bad condi- 



