HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 171 



When cultivated on a heath soil, the subsoil being a strong clay, 

 the nutritive powers of the grass were greater. 64 dr. of this grass 

 afforded 4 dr. of nutritive matter, which shews the grass, in this 

 instance, to be of greater value than that from a clayey loam, in 

 the proportion of 8 to 5. But the weight of grass produced on the 

 clayey loam, was superior to that on the heath soil, in the propor- 

 tion of 25 to 8. To account for this we have only to observe, that 

 the produce of the heath soil consisted chiefly of culms, while that 

 of the clayey loam consisted more of leaves. This grass is eaten 

 by all sorts of cattle. Its produce is very great, but the nutritive 

 qualities of the grass are inferior to many other grasses. It 

 pushes rapidly after being cropped ; and though later in flowering 

 than many other species, produces an early and plentiful supply of 

 herbage in the spring. These properties would entitle it to rank 

 high as a grass adapted for the alternate husbandry, but its nutri- 

 tive matter contains too large a proportion of bitter extractive and 

 saline matters to warrant its cultivation, without a considerable ad- 

 mixture of different grasses ; and the same objection extends to its 

 culture for permanent pasture. It is always present in the compo- 

 sition of the best natural pastures, and, as before mentioned, eaten 

 in common with other grasses. It does not, however, constitute 

 a large proportion of the herbage, but rather the least of any of the 

 more valuable grasses that have been mentioned. 



Its produce on different soils from the time it was sown, 

 April 23, 1813, till the period it was cut, July 10, 1813, being less 

 than three months, was as follows : 



Rich clayey loam, grass, 25 oz. 64 dr. of which 



afforded of nutritive matter - 73 grains. 



Clayey loam, grass, 23 oz. 64 dr. of which 



afforded of nutritive matter 84 



Rich black siliceous sandy soil, grass, 13 oz. 



64 dr. of which afforded of nutritive matter 89 

 Poor siliceous sandy soil, grass, 10 oz. 64 dr. 



of which afforded of nutritive matter - 80 

 Heath soil, grass, 8 oz. 64 dr. of which afforded 



of nutritive matter 83 



The difference in the quantity of nutritive matter afforded by the 

 produce of these different soils seemed solely to arise from the 

 proportion of culms contained in the different crops ; the produce 

 of the rich black siliceous soil, for instance, contained by far the 



