22 HOllTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 



with a short bent awn ; the body of the seed is egg- 

 shaped, and very smooth. The seed of the Phleiim, or 

 cat's-tail-grass, (No. 5.) is always naked, and being of 

 a round form, is sufficiently distinguished from the 

 above; the forked termination of the husks of the 

 Pldeum, likewise, affords an easy distinction between 

 their seed-vessels. The seed of the Alopecurus, or fox- 

 tail, (No. 7.) is distinguished from these, by its 

 covering, or husks, being permanent, and terminating 

 in a straight awn. The agriculturist will find it his 

 interest to distinguish between these seeds. 

 Refer. 1. Naked seed, the natural size. 



1. The same magnified. In the naked state the seed of 



the Hokus lanatus, or Yorkshire white-grass, seldom 

 appears, as the soft woolly husks almost invariably 

 adhere to the body of the seed. 



2. A seed, as it appears in practice, natural size. 

 2. The same magnified. 



Fig. 11. Aira caspitosa, turfy hair-grass, bulls'-faces, hassock- 

 grass. 



The seed is covered with the inner husks, which 

 adhere to it: it is egg-shaped. A tuft of woolly hairs 

 (refer. 2. fig. 11.) which proceeds from the base 

 of the seed-vessel, with a slender awn projecting a 

 little further, clearly distinguishes this seed from 

 those of the Ho/ci or soft-grasses (fig. 10. and 29.). 

 This being the seed of a most unprofitable and per- 

 nicious weed, it is of the highest importance, as 

 regards the keeping of land clean from weeds, to 

 prevent the introduction of a single seed of this 

 grass. Although there are upwards of eleven spe- 

 cies of hair-grass, yet, excepting this species, there 

 are none of the genus of particular moment to the 

 agriculturist. 



Fig. 12. Melica c<Er«/ea, purple melic-grass. 



The seed is covered by the inner husk until it be 

 perfected ; afterwards it encloses it loosely. The body 

 of the seed is oval-oblong, and a little incurved. 



Fig. 13. Poa compressa, fiat- stalked meadow-grass. 



The seed is covered with the inner husks, without 



