YALE AGRICULTURAL LECTURES. 131 



grown with as much certainty in New England, as it is by 

 western farmers, but, not as cheaply for here we must use 

 manure to obtain good crops. 



Mr. GOULD'S third lecture, to-day, was devoted to a descrip 

 tion of the grasses and clovers, in continuation of his lecture 

 yesterday. He denied the distinctions of the genus Festuca, as 

 laid down in botanical works, asserting that F. oviua and F. ru- 

 bra were merely variations of F. duriuscula, and that F. loliacea 

 and F. pratense were varieties of F. elatior. It is sufficient for all 

 the purposes of the farmer to divide the genus into two classes : 



1. Those having more or less hairs on the leaves ; and 



2. Those having smooth leaves. 



This genus affords us some species that are of great value in 

 an agricultural point of view, each of which, under certain 

 circumstances, is of great value, and very permanent in its 

 forms and qualities. Thus: F. ovina is essentially a grass of 

 the thin soils resting upon rocky uplands, as on the mountain 

 limestone and most mountain ranges. 



F. duriuscula. In the valleys between such hills, and in the 

 more sheltered pastures of the upland districts. 



F. rubra.Iu the more sandy loams of the lowland meadow, 

 and by the sea-shore. 



F. loliacea. Rich meadows on river banks, or under irriga 

 tion. 



F. pratensis. Best lowland meadows, not liable to floods. 



F. elatior. On sandy clays, or other stiff and strong lands, 

 especially on the sea-shore. 



The festucas are invariably present in our best pastures, and 

 especially present in those of the most famous cheese districts. 



The F. pratensis is worth $3 33, where timothy is worth $5, 

 per ton. It follows next after meadow fox-tail as an early grass, 

 and affords a bite earlier than orchard-grass. 



He gave the JBromus family a very bad name, adducing a 

 number of experiments to show that it was neither agreeable 



