66 GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS. 



Downy Persoon, (trisetum mollis,^ is a grass with dense 

 panicles, much contracted, oblong or linear, awn bent or diverg- 

 ing, lower palea compressed, keeled, leaves flat and short ; 

 found on rocky river banks and mountains, about one foot 

 high. It flowers in July. Of no agricultural value. 



The Downy Oat Grass, (trisetum pubescens,') is a very hardy 

 perennial grass, naturalized on chalky soils, and on such soils 

 its leaves are covered with a coating of downy hairs which it 

 loses when cultivated on better lands. It is regarded as a good 

 permanent pasture grass on account of its hardiness and its being 

 but a slight impovcrisher of the soil, and yielding a larger per 

 cent, of bitter extractive than other grasses grown on poor, light 

 soils. It is therefore recommended abroad as a prominent 

 ingredient of mixtures for pastures. It flowers early in July. 

 Fig. 65 represents this plant as it appears in blossom. Formerly 

 classed as avena pubescens. 



Meadow Oat Grass, (avena pratensis, Fig. 66,') is a peren- 

 nial grass, native of the pastures of Great Britain, growing to 

 the height of about eighteen inches. It furnishes a hay of 

 medium quality. Flourishes best on dry soils. Flowers in July. 

 Figs. 67 and 68 represent the flowers of this grass magnified. 



The Yellow Oat Grass, (avena Jlavescens, now generally 

 classified as trisetum Jlavescens,) can scarcely, perhaps, be 

 regarded as naturalized here. It is a perennial plant of slow 

 growth and medium quality, furnishing a hay containing about 

 1.79 per cent, of azote or nitrogen ; suitable for dry meadows 

 and pastures. It is sometimes regarded as a weed, growing 

 about eighteen inches high. It fails if cultivated alone, but 

 succeeds with other grasses, and is said to be the most useful 

 for fodder, of the oat grasses. It grows best with the crested 

 dog's tail and sweet scented vernal. It contains a larger pro- 

 portion of bitter extractive than most other grasses, and for that 

 reason is recommended by some English writers as a valuable 

 pasture grass. It flowers in July. Fig. 69 represents this 

 grass, and Fig. 70 a flower of it magnified. 



Tall Meadow Oat Grass, or Tall Oat Grass, (arrhena- 



therum avcnaceum,') is the avena elatior of Linnaeus. Specific 



characters : Spikelcts open paniclcd, two flowered, lower flower 



' staminate, bearing a long bent awn below the middle of the 



back ; leaves flat, acute, roughish on both sides, most on the 



