MEADOW FOX-TAIL GRASS. 427 



slightly creeping- rooted perennial. It flowers in April, May, and 

 June, and ripens its seed in June and July. It is a common grass 

 throughout the whole of Britain. In most of the rich natural 

 pastures of this island it is the principal grass. It thrives best 

 on rich land of an intermediate quality as to moisture and 

 dryness, such as in low meadow ground, or in boggy places 

 that have been drained. It is hardly found beyond 1500 feet 

 above the level of the sea. It is of great value to the agricul- 

 turist, as one of the earliest and best grasses for permanent 

 pastures, and supplying a grateful forage to every kind of stock. 

 It is less adapted for hay, owing to the stems being few and 

 but sparingly furnished with leaves. According to Mr Sinclair, 

 its produce on a clayey loam is nearly three-fourths greater 

 than on a sandy soil, the amount of nutritive matter being also 

 greater in the former case in the proportion of three to two. 

 The value of the aftermath, as compared with that of the flower- 

 ing crop, is, according to the same authority, as four to three. 

 As this difference of value is not usual in grasses at these 

 respective periods, it must arise from the loss occasioned by 

 the peculiarity of the flower in the fox-tail grass. As this 

 grass does not arrive at maturity until the fourth year after 

 the seeds are sown, it is inferior to many grasses for the. pur- 

 poses of alternate cropping. It is not found, therefore, among 

 the plants recommended to be sown in alternate husbandry ; 

 but for permanent pastures, and for permanent lawn pas- 

 tures, it is one of the plants recommended to be sown, in the 

 proportion of from 1 Ib. to If Ib. of the seeds to the im- 

 perial acre ; also in the same proportions for lands in pre- 

 paration for irrigation, and for improved deep mossy ground, 

 intended to be kept in grass. A bushel of the seeds aver- 

 ages 5 Ib., and the number of seeds in an ounce comes up to 

 76,000. 



Ammophila. Ammophila is the genus to which the sea- 



