178 HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 



i 



FESTUCA loliacea. Darnel-like Fescue. 



Specific character : Spike two-ranked, drooping ; spikelets nearly 

 sessile, linear-oblong; florets cylindrical, awnless, pointed, 

 with five slight ribs at the top. Sm. Engl. Flor. i. p. 146. 

 Fig. 1. Calyx. 2. Floret. 3. Germen and stigmas. 4. Nectary. 



Obs. This grass at first sight greatly resembles the Lolium 

 perenwe, (rye-grass) ; but, on a closer inspection, the calyx or 

 outer husk, so conspicuous in the spikelets of the rye-grass, is 

 in the spikelets of this grass almost wanting. The spikelets are 

 also arranged in a different manner : in the rye-grass they 

 stand facing the spike-stalk ; but in the darnel-like fescue, 

 they stand with their back towards it. E. Bot. 1821 ; Curt. 

 Lond.; Huds.; Hort. Gram. Wob. Fol. 61. 



Native of Britain. Root fibrous. Perennial. 



Experiments. At the time of flowering, the produce from a 



rich brown loam is 



Produce per Acre, 

 dr. qr. Ibs. 



Grass, 24 oz. The produce per acre 16335 



64 dr. of grass weigh, when dry - 35 7 



The produce of the space, ditto - 168 03 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 9188 7 



64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 3 ) 



The produce of the space, ditto 18 J 



At the time the seed is ripe, the produce is 

 Grass, 16 oz. The produce per acre 10890 



80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry 33 7 



The produce of the space, ditto - 105 f i 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 6397 14 

 64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 3 1 > r 

 The produce of the space, ditto 13 5 



The latter-math produce is 



Grass, 5 oz. The produce per acre 3403 2 



64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 11 66 7 7 



The weight of nutritive matter which is lost by leav- 

 ing the crop till the seed is ripe 212 9 



The proportional value which the grass, at the time the seed is 

 ripe, bears to that at the time of flowering, is as 13 to 12 ; and the 

 grass of the latter-math stands in proportion to that at the time of 

 flowering, as 12 to 5, and to that at the time the seed is ripe, as 13 

 to 5. 



