HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 203 



Produce per Acre, 

 dr. qr. Ibs. 



80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry 46 ) 



The produce of the space, ditto - 147 OJ 3 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 4628 4 



64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 22") 



The produce of the space, ditto 10 03 



The weight of nutritive matter which is lost by leaving 



the crop till the seed be ripe, is 85 1 4 



The crop, at the time of flowering, is therefore of greater pro- 

 portional value than that at the time the seed is ripe, nearly 

 as 6 to 5. 



The produce of latter-math is 



Grass, 4 oz. 8 dr. The produce per acre 3062 13 



64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 20} 

 The produce of the space, ditto 2 1 3 



From the above facts it appears that this grass is of consider- 

 able value, more particularly as it affords herbage early in the 

 spring, in a degree superior to rye-grass, sweet-scented vernal, 

 and nearly equal to the meadow-foxtail. It produces a suffi- 

 ciency of seed, which vegetates quickly; and the plants soon arrive 

 at perfection in almost every kind of soil, except in such as are 

 tenacious or retentive of moisture. If to these valuable properties 

 it added late growth, or a proportional supply of latter-math, 

 it would rank high among the superior grasses ; but in this it is 

 deficient, as are most of the grasses which produce early foliage in 

 the spring: the cock's-foot, tall oat-like soft-grass, Taunton's 

 meadow-foxtail, and meadow soft-grass, are the only exceptions, 

 properly, to this point. 



On soils of an inferior quality it might be cultivated to advan- 

 tage instead of rye-grass ; but for soils of the best quality it does 

 not as yet uphold a sufficient claim, the awns of the spike being 

 objectionable. It flowers about the first and second week of 

 July, and the seed is ripe generally about the end of July and 

 beginning of August. 



BROMUS erectus. Upright Perennial Brome-grass. 



Specific character : Panicle upright, slightly branched ; spikelets 

 linear-lanceolate ; florets about eight, loosely imbricated, lan- 

 ceolate compressed ; awns shorter than the glumes, straight ; 

 radical leaves very narrow, fringed with scattered hairs. Sm. 



