54 MEADOW FESCUE. 



summer and to retain its verdure during winter in a 

 remarkable degree. It constitutes a great portion of 

 the most natural pastures in Scotland, especially 

 when the soil is light and dry. From the pureness 

 of its foilage and greenness in winter it is well 

 adapted for sowing in parks and pleasure grounds, 

 especially for sheep pasture, but for short grass to 

 be kept down with the scythe it should, from its 

 wiry nature, enter sparingly into the mixture. About 

 2 lbs. with a mixture of other seeds. A bushel of the 

 seeds of Festuca Duriuscula weigh 10 lbs. T have 

 sown it this season. 



CHAPTER XV. 



MEADOW FESCUE. 



Festuca Pratensls — Specific Character. 



Its panicle is nearly erect, branched, close, some- 

 what inclined to one side ; ^pikelets linear, with 

 from nine to ten cylindrical flowers, leaves linear, of 

 a glossy green, pointed, striated^ rough on the edges ; 

 stems round, smooth, from two to three feet high^ 

 roots creeping, perrennial. Its radical or root leaves 

 are broader than those of the stem, while in most 

 other species of fescue jthe radical leaf is generally 

 narrower than those of the stem. Flowers in June, 

 seeds ripe in July. 



Col. St. Leger is supposed to be the first who en- 

 tered largely into the culture of this grass in Eng- 

 land. It comes near in its appearance to rye grasSy 

 but seems greatly superior, at least for the purpose 



