174 IIORTUS GUAMINEUS \rOBURNENSIS. 



Native of Britain. Root annual. E. Bot. 920 ; Host. t. 14 ; 



Flo. Ger. 

 Experiments. — At the time of flowering, the produce from a 



sandy loam is — 



Produce per Acre, 

 dr. qr. lbs. 



Grass, 35 oz. The produce per acre is - 23821 14 

 80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry - 40 ^ ? iiq-i^ ir 

 The produce of the space, ditto - 280 5 11910 l-» 

 The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 1 1910 15 

 C4 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 4 0^ 

 The produce of the space, ditto - 35 5 

 At the time the seed is ripe, the produce is — 

 Grass, 10 oz. The produce per acre - 6806 4 



64 dr. of grass aff'ord of nutritive matter 1 2 147 



The weight of nutritive matter which is lost by leaving 

 the crop till the seed be ripe, exceeding ten times its 

 value, is 1341 13 14 



This species of Brome-grass appears, from the results of all my 

 observations, to be confined to rich pastures and meadows, while 

 the next two following species, Brornus multijionis and BioniKs 

 mollis, are chiefly found to prevail on poor or exhausted grass 

 lands. They are all strictly annual. This species appears to be 

 the most valuable of the three. When this grass is mown at the 

 time of flowering, it affords a considerable weight of nutritive hay ; 

 but when left uncut till the time the seed is ripe, it is then com- 

 paratively of no value, which is manifest from the above details. 

 All these annual bromes are considered bad grasses by the 

 Farmer. This much, however, may be said in favour of the Field 

 Brome-grass, that it affords an early bite in the spring, and is 

 eaten by sheep and lambs equally with other grasses. It exhausts 

 the soil but little; the roots penetrate to little depth in the earth. 

 The seed falls from the husks as soon as ripe, and vegetates 

 quickly among the root-leaves of the perennial grasses, and before 

 autumn draws to a conclusion, attains to a considerable size. 

 This grass withstands the effects of frost better than many of the 

 superior pasture grasses : hence it is among the early grasses 

 which afford the principal herbage in the beginning of spring. 

 Being strictly an annual plant, its existence another year depends 

 on suff'ering it to perfect its seed, and, as before stated, the value 

 of its produce at this stage of growth is very little; so that 



