822 



PRACTICE OF AGRICULTURE. 



Part III. 



dry exposed situations, it is altogether inconsiderable ; it yearly diminishes, and ulti- 

 mately dies off, not unfrequently in the space of four or five years. 



5114. The above are six of the best British grasses, for either dry or watered meadows. 

 The seeds of the meadow fescue, fox-tail, and smooth and rough meadow grass, may 

 be had from the seedsmen, and they are sown in various proportions with the clovers and 

 rye-grass. The seeds of the two sorts of meadow grass are apt to stick together, and 

 require to be well mixed with the others before being sown. The tall and spiked fescue 

 grass, having a number of barren flowers, are not prolific in seeds, and they are therefore 

 seldom to be got at the seed shops ; though they may occasionally be had there gathered 

 from plants in a wild state. 



5115. As haj/ grasses, adapted/or particular soils and situations, the cat's-tail or Timothy, 

 floating fescue, and fiorin grass, have been recommended ; but it cannot be said that the 

 opinions of cultivators are unanimous in their favor. 



5116. The cat's-tail, or Timothy grass, {Phleuin pratense, Ij.Jtg- 582 a) is a native plant. 



and found both in dry and moist soils. It was first brought into notice by Timothy 

 Hudson, about 1780, who introduced it from Carolina, where it was in great repute. 

 On moist rich soils it is a prolific grass, but late ; on dry soils it is good for little, and 

 for cultivation in any way is disapproved of by Withering, Swaine, Curtis, and others, 

 as having no pi'operties in which it is not greatly surpassed by the alopecurus pratensis. 

 The Woburn experiments, however, present this grass as one of the most prolific for hay 

 The nutritive matter afforded by 64 drachms of the straws, was 7 drachms. The 

 nutritive powers of the straws simply, therefore, exceed those of the leaves, in pro- 

 portion as 28 to 8 ; and the grass, at the time of flowering, to that at the time the seed 

 is ripe, as 10 to 23 ; and the lattermath, to the grass of the flowering crop, as 8 to 10* 

 The comparative merits of this grass will appear from the above particulars to be 

 very great; to which maybe added the abundance of fine foliage that it produces early 

 in the spring. In this respect it is inferior to the poa fertilis, and poa angustifolia only. 

 The value of the straws at the time the seed is ripe, exceeds that of the grass at the time 

 of flowering, as 28 to 10, a circumstance which increases its value above many others ; 

 for by this property its valuable early foliage may be cropped, to an advanced period of 

 the season, without injury to the crop of hay, which in other grasses which send forth their 

 flowering straws early in the season would cause a loss of nearly one half of the value 

 of the crop, as is clearly proved by former examples ; and this property of the straws 

 makes the plant peculiarly valuable for the purpose of hay. 



5117. The floating fescue grass, {Festuca fluitans, b) is found in rich swamps, 

 especially in Cambridgeshire, where it is said to give the peculiar flavor to Cottenham 

 and Cheddar cheese. It is also found in ditches and ponds in most parts of the country. 

 It is greedily devoured by every description of stock, not excepting hogs and ducks, and 

 geese eagerly devour the seeds, which are small, but very sweet and nourishing. They 

 are collected in several parts of Germany and Poland, under the name of Manna-seeds 

 (Schwaden), and are esteemed a delicacy in soups and gruels. When ground to meal, 

 they make bread very little inferior to that from wheat. The bran is given to horses that 

 have the worms ; but they must be kept from water for some hours afterwards. Geese, 

 and otiier water-fowl, are very fond of the seeds. So also are fish ; trout, in particular,' 

 thrive in those rivers where this grass grows in plenty- It has been recommended to be 

 sowed on meadows that admit flooding; but Curtis justly remarks, that the flote- 

 fescue will not flourish except in land that is constantly under water, or converted into a( 

 bog or swamp. 



5118. The water meadow grass, {Poa aquatica, c) is found chiefly in marshes, bud 



