IMPROVEMENT OF GRASS LAND 213 



Juncacece, spoken of generally as Wood Rushes on 

 account of their occurring frequently in thickets, 

 woods, and shady places. Some of them, however, 

 are found on poor open pastures and heaths. One of 

 the latter type is Luzula campestris Willd., a small grass- 

 like plant (Fig. 63), which is common on dry meadows 

 and pastures on almost all soils. (A tall sub-species of 

 this plant (L. multiflora Lej.) is common on wet pastures.) 

 It is a perennial spread by means of both seeds and a 

 creeping rootstock ; it grows from 4 to 12 inches 

 high, and has flat, hairy, grass-like leaves the long 

 whitish hairs being very prominent and dense clusters 

 of small pale or dark star-like" flowers. 



Where very plentiful, a general improvement in the 

 herbage by manuring, or by drainage in the case of Z.. 

 multiflora, is necessary to check Wood Rushes. 



CYPERACE^: 



Common Cotton Grass (Eriophorum anguslifolium 

 Roth.) and Hare's-tail Cotton Grass (E. vaginatum L.) 

 are perennial plants common on moors, bogs, and 

 water meadows, being sometimes troublesome in the 

 last-named position. The former species is about 

 i foot high, and has solitary solid stems and terminal 

 clusters of flowers, the inner clusters being sessile and 

 the outer on slender stalks. The flowers appear in 

 May and June. Hare's-tail Cotton Grass is somewhat 

 similar, with many tufted stems and solitary terminal 

 spikelets, which flower in April and May. In both 

 species the floral envelope is formed of many iong 

 cottony hairs, the clusters when ripe appearing as a 

 dense cottony tuft or head, i to 2 inches long and 

 i inch in diameter. The " cotton " is sometimes 

 collected and used for stuffing pillows. 



