THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 107 



wliich the flowers are almost hidden by them, and the matter is 

 made worse by the use of the inflorescence of the coarser kinds that 

 are found in abundance by the hedgerows and in waste places. 

 Some of the wild grasses are very pretty, and may be employed in 

 large stands with advantage, but few indeed are those which equal 

 in beauty and elegance the ornamental kinds adapted for garden 

 culture. 



For some years past a collection comprising upwards of fifty of 

 tlie most distinct kinds have been grown in our garden, and from 

 these I have selected the under-mentioned as being especially valu- 

 able : — 



Agrostis elerjans and A. nehulosa are both exquisitely beau,tiful, 

 the inflorescence when judiciously mixed with flowers has the appear- 

 ance of a light cloud hanging over them. The Quaking Grasses, 

 Briza maxima and £. gracilis, are both remarkable for distinctness 

 and beauty. Chloris cueulata and C. elegans are of especial value 

 for winter bouquets. Eleusine coracana and JE. indica are very 

 pretty when growing in the border, and the flower-spikes are effec- 

 tive in decorations, as also are some of the Festucas, more espe- 

 cially F. pedinella, F. rigidci, and F. viridis. Hordeum jtibatum is 

 well worth growing for its distinctness, but it is less beautiful than 

 the others mentioned. The Hare's-tail Grass, Lagurus ovatus, is so 

 elegant that it cannot well be dispensed with. The upright spikes 

 of Panicum cainlare are too rigid for table decoration, but carefully 

 dried they are useful for winter bouquets. Fennisetumfasciculatum, 

 P. setosum, Stipa elegantissima, S. intricafa, 8. jJ^nnata, and Uniola 

 latiJoUa, are all exceedingly pretty. As the whole of the foregoing 

 may be purchased at the rate of threepence per packet, all that are 

 mentioned maybe obtained for a trifle over five shillings. 



Ornamental grasses may be raised in pots and transplanted, but 

 as they succeed quite as well, and in some instances better, when 

 sown in the border where they are to remain, it is quite unnecessary 

 to incur the labour of sowing in pots. It is preferable to grow the 

 grasses in a border by themselves, but as they do very well sown in 

 clumps in borders filled with flowering plants, the cultivator can 

 grow them in the most convenient position available. We devote a 

 border to them, and sow in rows two feet apart. The seed is sown 

 rather thinly early in April, and covered lightly with fine soil. The 

 plants are thinned if they come up too thickly in any part of the 

 row, to allow them a moderate space for their development. In 

 sowing in clumps it is preferable to mark out a circle two feet in 

 diameter, and scatter the seed thinly, and cover it in the same 

 manner as when sown in rows. 



When required for winter bouquets, the flower-spikes must be 

 gathered just as they are approaching maturity. If gathered too 

 soon, they will wither, and on the other hand when left too long the 

 seeds fall out and the spikes are tlierefore worthless. With the aid 

 of Judson's dyes, they can be dyed any desired colour, but this must 

 not be done until a short time before they are made up into bou- 

 quets, so as to insure the colours being as bright as possible during 

 the winter season. 



April. 



