THEQRA THE FARM. 503 



YELLOW OAT GHASS (Avena flavescens). 



Yellow Oat Grass, grows naturally in dry pasture, on rather light and 



1 soils yields a considerable bulk of fine herbage, and deserves to form 



a portion of all mixtures on light, dry soils, either for hay or pasture. It 



arrives early at maturity, and although a perennial, yet if allowed to 



ripen .seed, it is but of short duration, particularly if grown on stiff, moist 



It is the most useful, as a hay and pasture grass, of the genus Ave- 



na, as well as the smallest seeded of all the native species. 



Mr. Tauton says of it : " That it is so rich in its qualities, and so uni- 

 ai a citizen of the world, that there is no soil from the lightest calca- 

 reous loam, to the stiffest clay into which he would not introduce it where 

 he intended to form a permanent turf." It is said that a top dressing of 

 lime will double the produce of this grass, and that it thrives best on cal- 

 carious soils. 



FINE BENT GRASS, OR RED TOP. (Agrostis vulyaris). 



This in-ass has always been considered as a troublesome weed in dry, 



liu'ht soils, and not being well liked by cattle, it commonly attracts atten- 



ti< >n as a useless grass to be got quit of as soon as possible, more particular! v 



ts creeping roots prove highly injurious to the soil. However, not- 



withstanding its bad qualities, sheep are found to eat it, and it is some- 



times sown on bare, gravelly places, where the more valuable grasses will 



not grow for tin- purpose of covering them with vegetation. Red Top has 



1 ..... n Ionic and favourably known in this country as a permanent pasture 



grass. It is supposed by some to have been introduced into the Northern 



But I am inclined to the belief that it is as much indigenous to 



soil of Ami-rira as it is to that of any part of Great Britain. It is 



found irrowiiiLj naturally on fertile and medium soils, and there are few 



'meadows of three or four years' standing in which Red Top is not found 



in al'undaiK-f, and is SUIT to assert its supremacy and become perin.-un-nt . 



whilr in th- course of six or seven years the Timothy has di.sapp.-aivd. 



Red : mixture with other grasses is necessary, but only in small 



quantities, OD land capable of producing better 1. where 



. ,nal'l' grasses will not succeed as already stated, it is highly 



:''il fur the purpose of Covering them with vt^'taMon. < >n pasture 



hinds whrn- lli-d Tup pivdomin.'it.'s, tin- lirlds must be overstocked, for if 



allowed to grow up to seed, th.- rattl- ivfuse it, which is Mitlieirnt evi- 

 dence thai it ' niMcli iviish.'d by stock as some of the other pa stun 



grasses. Red Tup and the now very popular Rhode Island Bent, are one 



