154 IIORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 



therefore inferior for the purpose of hay, but admirably adapted for 

 permanent pasture. The roots penetrate to a considerable depth 

 in the ground, from which circumstance it continues green after 

 most other grasses are hurt by a continuance of dry weather. 

 Mr. Curtis observes, that it affects a dry soil, and that it will not 

 thrive in meadows that are wet ; but I have always found it more 

 abundant in moist, or rather tenacious elevated soils, than in those 

 of a drier and more sandy nature. In irrigated meadows it thrives 

 in perfection, attaining to a greater size than in any other situation. 

 In some parts of Woburn Park, this grass constitutes the principal 

 part of the herbage, on which the deer and South Down sheep 

 chiefly browse, while another part of the Park, which consists 

 chiefly of the Agrostis vulgaris fascicularis, Agrostis vulgaris ienui- 

 folia, Festuca ovina, Festuca duriuscula, and Festuca Carnhrica, 

 is seldom touched by them ; but the Welsh breed of sheep almost 

 constantly browse on these, and almost entirely neglect the Cyno- 

 surus cristatus, Lolium perenne, and Poa trivialis. There has been 

 a difference of opinion v^ith respect to the merits of this grass : it 

 certainly does not afford so early a bite to cattle in the spring as 

 many other grasses, and the culms are uniformly left untouched : 

 but this is more owing to the season in which they are produced, 

 than to any particular defect ; as there is then a profusion of root 

 leaves and herbage in general, which is always preferred by cattle 

 to the culms : when the grass is in flower, the culms are succulent, 

 and contain much nutritive matter ; it is all, however, exhausted in 

 perfecting the seed. If this grass is employed only for the alter- 

 nate husbandry, and its merits from thence estimated, it will be 

 considered an inferior grass, as it is by no means adapted for that 

 purpose, either with respect to speedily arriving at perfection, early 

 growth, or quantity of produce; but it forms a close dense turf of 

 grateful nutritive herbage, and being little aflected by the extremes 

 of weather, where other grasses, superior in the fore-mentioned 

 points would be produced in tufts, and injured by the extremes of 

 weather. From these facts it is evident, a sward of the best qua- 

 lity, particularly under circumstances where sheep are a principal 

 object, cannot be formed without an admixture or proportion of 

 the crested dog's-tail grass. In all the most celebrated pastures 

 I have examined, it constituted a very considerable portion of the 

 produce. It flowers towards the end of June, and ripens the seed 

 towards the end of July. The culms are valuable lor the manu- 

 facture of str^w bonnets. 



