HORTUS GRAMINKUS W () UU RN EN SIS. 129^ 



produce early foliage in the spring : the cock's-foot, tall 

 oat-like soft-grass, Taunton's meadow-foxtail, and meadow 

 soft- grass, are the only exceptions, properly, to this point. 



On soils of an inferior quality it might be cultivated to 

 advantage instead of ray-grass; but for soils of the best 

 quality it does not as yet uphold a sufficient claim, the awns of 

 the spike being objectionable. It flowers about the first and 

 second week of July, and the seed is ripe generally about 

 the end of July and beginning of August. 



BROMUS erectus. Upright Perennial Brorae-grass. 



Specific character: Panicle upright, shghtly branched; 

 spikelets linear-lanceolate ; florets about eight, loosely 

 imbricated, lanceolate, compressed ; awns shorter than 

 the glumes, straight ; radical leaves very narrow, fringed 

 with scattered hairs. 



Obs. — The awns are a continuation of the keel of the 

 blossom, thus forming the connecting link between this 

 genus and festuca. Corolla with a large knot at the 

 base, hairy, outer valve ribbed and keeled ; awn shorter 

 than the blossom ; anthers of a beautiful saffron colour. 

 Native of Britain. Root fibrous. Perennial. 



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

 a rich sandy soil is 12,931 lbs. per acre. 



Mr. Curtis has remarked of this grass, that it is peculiar 

 to chalky soils, and that its appearance in a wild state is 

 much less favourable than when cultivated in a garden. I 

 have found it on rather low-lying sandy soils, as in some 

 parts of Woburn Park, where it appeared as luxuriant as 

 when cultivated in the grass-garden. But the fact is, the 

 culms rise to a considerable height, and the root-leaves are 

 but few in number, though growing to some length ; the 

 grass, by this means, appears to be much more productive 

 than it really is. It seems to be but little relished by cattle, 

 the leaves being rough with hairs. I have not had an oppor- 

 tunity to examine it while growing on chalky soils in a na- 

 tural state, nor submit it to experiment on a soil of that na 

 ture ; however useful, therefore, it may be found hereafter 



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