HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 351 



that from wheat. The bran is given to horses that have the worms, 

 but they must be kept from water some hours afterwards. Fish, 

 particularly trout, are said to be fond of the seeds. The seed will 

 not vegetate unless kept very moist; indeed I never could obtain 

 any plants from the seed except when sown in mud : when raised 

 in this manner, and transplanted on a tenacious clay, the plants 

 throve very well, and on the fourth year afforded the produce 

 above stated. 



Flowers from the first or second week of July, till the end of 

 summer. 



AIRA aquatica. Water Hair-grass. 



Specific character: Panicle expanding; florets without awns, 

 smooth, longer than the calyx; husks obtuse. E. Bot. 1557; 

 Host, V. 2, t. 14; Flo. Dan. t. 381, bad figure; Sm. Engl. 

 Fl. i. p. 101. 



Obs. — Culms seldom more than a foot high, with two or three 

 joints, never more. The leaves are shorter than those of the 

 preceding grass {Glyceria ffuitatis), and more rounded at the 

 point. When in flower they cannot be mistaken for each 

 other : the hair-grass has only two flowers in each calyx; the 

 flote sweet-grass from 5 to 11. Hort. Gram. Fol. 241. 



German, Wasser-Schmiekri, 



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

 covered permanently with running water, is — 



Produce per Acre, 

 dr. qr. lbs. 



Grass, 16 oz. The produce per acre - - 10890 



80 dr. of grass weigh, v.'hen dry - 24 7 onrv o rv 

 The produce of the space, ditto - 76 3j'o 3 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 7623 



64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 2 17 009 io 

 The produce of the space, ditto - 9 3 



10 



This plant is an aquatic, at least I never could preserve it out of 

 water. It is found naturally growing in the mud of standing 

 pools, or running waters. It is therefore unfit for cultivation. 



Mr. Curtis says that it is the sweetest of the British grasses ; 

 but there are several species which contain more sugar, in propor- 

 tion to the other ingredients which compose their nutritive mat- 

 ter, as the Glyceriajiuitam, Elymus arenarius, Poa nemoralis angus- 



