42 ENGLISH BENT. 



grows over twelve inches, and often not over five or six 

 inches high, while it has a lighter color. In the latter 

 situations it goes by the name of Finetop, and is uni- 

 versally seen in old, dry pastures. In some sections, 

 where it is highly esteemed, it goes by the name of 

 Burden's or Borden's Grass ; in others, of Rhode Island 

 Bent; but I am unable to discover any difference be- 

 tween these and redtop, except that produced by vari- 

 eties of soils ; and, on inquiring of some of the largest 

 dealers in seeds, I find that orders for all these are sup- 

 plied from the same seed. 



Finetop may be regarded as a variety of redtop, 

 produced by the character of the soil. 



ENGLISH BENT, WHITETOP, DEW GRASS, WHITE BENT, 

 BONNET GRASS (Agrostis alba). Stem erect, round, 

 smooth, polished, having four or five leaves with rougli- 

 ish sheaths ; striated, upper sheath longer than its leaf, 

 crowned with a long, acute, ragged ligule ; joints smooth ; 

 branches numerous, recumbent, rooting at the lower 

 joints where they come in contact with the ground, as 

 shown in figure 30 ; panicle somewhat narrower than 

 in redtop, lightish green, or with a slight tinge of pur- 

 ple ; lower or inner palea one half the length of the 

 upper, and shorter than the glumes ; five-nerved, awn- 

 less, perennial. Native of Europe. 



Whitetop may be known from redtop by the sheaths 

 being rough to the touch from above downwards, and 

 the ligule being long and acute, and the keel of the 

 large glume of the calyx toothed nearly to the base. 

 In redtop the sheaths are smooth, ligule short and ob- 

 tuse, and the keel of the large glume toothed only on 

 the upper part. 



It may be known from Brown Bent (Agrostis ca- 

 nina), by having an inner palea in its floret, while in 

 Brown Bent the inner palea is wanting. It is very 



