82 TIORTUS GUAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 



ANTHOXANJHITM odoratum. Sweet-scented vernal grass. 



Specific character : spike egg -oblong shaped ; florets 

 longer than the awns, and supported on short foot- 

 stalks. 

 Obs. — Blossom double, the outer one entirely different 

 from that of any other grass, its outside covered nearly 

 to the top with stiff brown hairs lying flat ; stem thinly 

 haired, and shining joints. Native of Britain. 

 Experiments. — The produce of herbage from a 

 space of four square feet, soil a brown sandy 

 loam with manure, on the 1st of April, yielded 



by weight per acre 3,488 lbs. 



At the time of flowering 7,827 



At the time the seed is ripe 6,125 



The produce of after-math 6,806 



The proportional value which the grass of the latter-math 

 bears to that of the seed crop, is nearly as 13 to 9; and the 

 proportional nourishment contained in the autumn grass, 

 exceeds that of the first grass of the spring as 9 to 7. 



This grass constitutes a part of the herbage of pastures on 

 almost every kind of soil, though it only attains to perfec- 

 tion in those which are deep and moist. The chief property 

 is its early growth, though in this respect it is inferior to 

 several other species which are later in flowering. It thrives 

 best when combined with many different species, and there- 

 fore is a true permanent pasture grass. It does not appear 

 to be particularly liked by cattle, though eaten in pastures 

 in common with others. Mr. Grant, of Leighton, laid down 

 a field of considerable extent, one half of which was sown 

 with this grass and white clover, the other half with meadow 

 fox tail and red clover. The sheep would not touch the 

 sweet-scented vernal and white clover, but kept constantly 

 on the fox tail grass, though the dwarfish nature of the 

 sweet vernal had occasioned an unusual degree of luxuriance 

 of the white clover with which it was combined. This would 

 indicate that it is not, when single, or when combined with 

 two or three different species, very grateful to cattle. The 



