HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 133 



Avenajlavescens (yellow oat-grass), * 



Hordeum pratense (meadow-barley), 

 Cynosurus cristatus (crested dog's-tail), 

 Festuca duriuscula (hard fescue), 

 Poa trivialis (rough-stalked meadow-grass), 

 Poa pratensis (smooth-stalked meadow-grass), 

 Holcus lanatus (woolly soft-grass), sparingly, 

 Trifolium pratense perenne (perennial red clover), 

 Trifolium repens (white, or Dutch clover), 

 Lathyrus pratensis (yellow vetch, or meadow lathyrus), 

 Festuca glabra vel duriuscula (smooth fescue), 

 which yield produce principally in summer and autumn. 



Achillea millefolium (yarrow), 

 Agrostis stolonifera (creeping bent, or florin), 

 Agrostis palustris (marsh bent-grass), 

 Triticum repens (creeping wheat-grass, or couch), 

 which vegetate with most vigour in autumn. 



Besides these, there are other plants that I have invariably found 

 in the richest natural pastures, as Ranunculus acris (butter-cups) ; 

 Plantago lanceolata (rib-grass, or ribwort plantain), and Rumex 

 acetosa (sorrel-dock). But of these, the rib-grass and butter-cups 

 were by far the most common, the sorrel-dock being confined to 

 particular spots. I have been in the practice, for many years, of 

 examining these pastures at various periods of the season, but 

 I never could discover the smallest indication of the cattle 

 (horses, cows, and sheep,) having touched the Rumex acetosa, or 

 Ranunculus acris, except from the apparent necessity caused by 

 overstocking, or where these plants were too numerous in the 

 pasture to admit of being wholly avoided by the mouths of the 

 animals.* 



* A very high authority observes, that in pastures closely stocked in the be- 

 ginning of summer with either horses or sheep, the stems of the butter-cups are not 

 suffered to rise ; which indicate that these animals eat this plant in its infant state ; 

 under the same circumstances sheep will keep down the sorrel-dock and sheep's- 

 sorrel (Rumex acetosella). It is also a just and valuable observation, that these 

 two last-mentioned plants indicate a soil surcharged with acids, requiring lime or 

 other calcareous manure to correct the evil and improve the pasture. The yarrow 

 (Achillea millefolium) in general indicates a siliceous soil, and the narrow-leaved 

 plantain a light or sandy soil. W. P. Taunton, Esq. 



