HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 21 



The husks of the blossom cover the seed, the body of 

 which is roundish and very smooth. 

 Refer. 1. A branchlet of the natural size with the ripe seed. 

 2. Seed of the natural size. 

 2. The same magnified. 

 This is a favourite food of birds; it is seldom found out of 

 woods or shaded places, and it is not therefore of much consider- 

 ation to the farmer, either as a useful or pernicious plant. 

 Fig. 9. Agrostis stolonifera latifolia, stoloniferous bent-grass, or 

 Fiorin. 



The body of the seed is covered with the husks of the 

 blossom, which do not open ; it is cylindrical, but tapers 

 to a point at each end. 

 As it is of great importance to the farmer to be able to distin- 

 guish this species of bent-grass from the other species, which are 

 unprofitable and pernicious weeds, I will here mention such species 

 as are most likely from their prevalence, and their resemblance 

 to this seed, to be mistaken for it. Agrostis vulgaris — this seed 

 differs from the fiorin in being one half the size, more rounded at 

 the bottom, and of a paler brown colour. Agrostis alba, or clayey 

 couch-grass, has the seed very slender and smooth, one half the 

 size only of the fiorin, and more slender than the Agrostis vulgaris. 

 The seed of the Agrostis caniiia is furnished with a jointed awn of 

 a brown colour, which readily distinguishes it from those now 

 mentioned. There is an awnless variety of the Agrostis canina, 

 which is distinguished by being shorter and more plump than the 

 fiorin, or of the clay couch-bent. The seed of the Agrostis fasci- 

 cularis is not one third of the size of that of the fiorin, more 

 rounded at the bottom, and of a light straw colour. The Agrostis 

 palustris has seed about one fifth shorter than that of the fiorin, 

 of a lighter brown colour, and more plump and rounded. The 

 variety of fiorin called aristata has an awn which distinguishes it 

 at once from the seed of the more valuable variety. 



Refer. 1 . Branchlet of the true fiorin Agrostis stolonifera lati- 

 folia, with its ripe seed. 

 2. A seed of the natural size. 

 2. The same magnified. 

 Fig. 10. Holcus laiiatus, woolly soft-grass. 



The outer and inner husks, in general, adhere to the 

 seed, and cover it : they are egg-shaped, and furnished 



