12 
near the Pagoda and isolated plants of Holcus mollis and H. 
lanatus no doubt survived owing to their hairy covering on stems 
and. leaves. 
It was to be expected that annual grasses, even including the 
ubiquitous Poa annua, should disappear and, though not without 
exceptions, it seems a rule that amongst the perennial grasses 
the earlier flowering species can least withstand drought. Thus 
Poa pratensis, Alopecurus pratensis, Phleum pratense, Arrhena- 
therum avenaceum, Avena pubescens, Cynosurus cristatus, Bromus 
spp. and other grasses which are common constituents of the 
Kew turf had quite died down by the middle of August. Loliwm 
perenne flowers most of the summer and Agropyron repens is a 
later flowering grass than those mentioned above. 
The Sun Dial Lawn, in front of Kew Palace, was ploughed 
up during the war but has now been completely resown. A 
portion laid down with seed in the spring of the year before last 
was much dried up but was still greener than similar areas of 
old lawn. Loliwm perenne was the most conspicuous grass, and 
associated with it were green, low-growing plants of Medicago 
lupulina, Trifolium repens and Trifolium pratense. The second 
dominant grass, with patches of Holcus lanatus. From amongst 
the green Loliwm, dried up and dead plants of a species of Poa 
were picked out. The dying out of these, and doubtless indivi- 
duals of other species, had retarded the formation of turf and 
allowed the entrance of many weeds of which numerous indivi- 
duals of the following species were green and flourishing: Nas- 
turtium sylvestre, Coronopus didyma, Solanum nigrum, Polygonum 
aviculare, P. persicaria, Plantago lanceolata and Chenopodium 
album. A small patch of vivid green surrounding a hydrant 
within this sown portion showed what the turf would have been 
had the summer been a wet one. That newly-sown lawns 
remain green longer in drought than established ones, is pro- 
bably due to the looser nature of the soil in the former, allowing 
the roots to penetrate more deeply and to spread further- 
Telluric water can also rise by capillary action more easily to the 
superficial layers in which the plants are rooted. 
In conclusion, a few facts may be recorded regarding plants 
other than grasses. The greenest constituents of the turf were 
members of the Compositae. Achillea millefoliwm retained its 
structure quite well. All of these plants 
have deeply penetrating tap-roots or, like Achillea, a much 
