109 



its value must depend much on its powers of regenera- 

 tion, which I suspect have never been tried or observed with 

 attention. 



Not considering my trial of this grass sufficient, I wished 

 to know it better, and wrote to England for some seed, but 

 was informed it was all gone, being sold off at a guinea a 

 bushel ; I should have thought it very difficult to collect 

 even one bushel from such diminitive and thinly scattered 

 panicles. 



The Festuca ov'ma as appears upon simple inspection, and 

 as is announced by its name, is a grass fit for sheep exclu- 

 sively, of course nmst be sowed in extensive tracts, and an 

 immense quantity therefore of seed will be required, for it 

 would be extreme folly to mix it with other grass seed, and 

 thus overpower by the introduction of stronger competitors- 

 a diminutive plant, which I was not able to protect from the 

 coarser grasses and weeds that obtruded themselves spon- 

 taneously. 



I speak with less confidence of the Festuca ovina than of 

 any other grass; my experiments npon it having been more 

 curtailed ; nor does it afford opportunity for observation in 

 its natnral state; I suspect, indeed, that it never has been 

 studied Avith that degree of patience and attention that w^ould' 

 justify the pronouncing possitively upon its merits ; the ad- 

 vocates for this grass would do well to give it a cool and fair 

 trial ; my condemnation of it is founded on speculation 

 a priori. 



I have 



