BROAD LEAVED, OR CREEPI:N'G BENT. 69^ 



can bear testimony from observation to its excellent 

 quality as a rich succulent and sweet food for cattle. 

 That it is not more extensively cultivated in other 

 countries than Ireland, may be attributed to the fact 

 that the specimens of the different varieties of Agrostis- 

 stolonifera resemble eaeh other so much that they 

 may be easily mistaken for each other without close- 

 inspection and some knowledge of botany to assist 

 it. The first variety being therefore scarce, and the- 

 other very common, there is little room for surprise 

 at the contradictory result of experiments that have 

 been made on one or other of these inferior varieties by 

 gentlemen equally eminent for agricultural know- 

 ledge, under conviction of their being one and the 

 same grass as recommended by Dr. Richardson under 

 the name of Fiorin, whereas though they agree in 

 the general habit of Dr. Richardson's variety and in- 

 deed in every respect, except that Fiorin appears to 

 be confined to rich ancient pasture land, as its natur- 

 al place of growth, and the other varieties to various, 

 soils and situations; their inferiority in every agricul- 

 tural merit is so great as to justify the opprobious 

 epithets that have been bestowed upon them by those 

 who from the above causes have differed from Dr. 

 Richardson's statement of the merits of the first vari- 

 ety of Fiorin, and prevented justice being done to the 

 discovery w^hich it may have deserved. 



Although it may be proi3agated by the seeds, yet 

 they are of such slow growth, that they are apt to be 

 overpowered by weeds, and the better mode is to 

 plant small cuttings of the grass in tlie latter end of 

 Autumn. 



The land should be drained as well as circum- 

 stances may permit; for although it suits a wet soil 



