COMMON RYE-GRASS. 445 



For permanent pasture the produce and nutritive powers of 

 the rye-grass, compared with those of the cock's-foot grass 

 (Dactylis glomerata), are inferior nearly in the proportion of 

 five to eighteen ; and inferior to the meadow fox-tail (Alope- 

 curus pratensis) in the proportion of five to twelve ; and in- 

 ferior to the meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) as five to 

 fifteen. The rye-grass is but a short-lived plant, seldom con- 

 tinuing more than six years in possession of the soil, but is 

 continued by its property of ripening an abundance of seed, 

 which is but little molested by birds, and suffered to fall and 

 vegetate among the root-leaves of the permanent pasture 

 grasses. It is only within these last forty or fifty years that 

 other species of grasses have been tried as a substitute for the 

 rye-grass in forming artificial pastures, it having been the 

 favourite grass with most farmers from the time of its first 

 cultivation in 1674 to the present period. 



It is a very common grass throughout the whole of Britain. 

 Its limit of altitude seems to be about 1000 feet above the 

 level of the sea. 



It is recommended as one of the plants to be sown in alter- 

 nate husbandry for permanent pasture, for permanent lawn- 

 pastures, for fine lawn -pastures (the Lolium perenne tenue), 

 bowling-greens and the like kept constantly under the scythe, 

 for lands in preparation for irrigation, for permanent pasture 

 and hay in orchards and other grounds much overshadowed 

 by trees, for improved deep mossy ground intended to be kept 

 in grass, and for warrens or light sandy downs, to the extent 

 of from 5 or 6 to 18 or 20 Ib. of seed per imperial acre. A 

 bushel of the seeds of the light-seeded varieties averages 18 Ib., 

 a bushel of the seeds of the heavy-seeded varieties averages 

 30 Ib.; and the number of seeds of the former variety in an 

 ounce is about 16,000 of the latter variety, 13,000. 



M ilium. The wood or spreading millet-grass is known to 



