238 HORTUS GRAMIENUS WOBURNENSIS. 



grass (Holcus avenacetts), perennial rye-grass (Lolium perenne), up- 

 right brome (Bromus erectus), and field brome (Bromus arvensis), 

 will produce a crop fit to mow for hay in the third week of June. 

 The value of this crop is superior to that ripe in the first week of 

 June, in the proportion nearly of 13 to 7 ; the weight of nutritive 

 matter from the produce of one acre being 8441bs. 



A combination of cat's-tail (Phleum pratense), yellow oat (Avena 

 Jlavescens), crested dog's-tail (Cynosurus cristatus), woolly soft-grass 

 (Holcus lanatus), wood meadow-grass (Poa nemoralis), meadow 

 barley-grass (Hordeum pratense), yellow vetchling (Lathy r us pra- 

 tensis), many-flowered brome-grass (Bromus multiflorus), and the 

 lesser variety of the meadow cat's-tail (Phleum pratense, var. minus), 

 will afford a crop ready for reaping in the second or third week of 

 July. The weight of nutritive matter afforded by this crop, 

 exceeds that of the preceding in the proportion nearly of 7 to 6 ; 

 the quantity contained in the produce of one acre being about 

 lOOBlbs. 



The first of these selections, though producing the earliest crop, is, 

 nevertheless, much less valuable than any of the others ; for, with 

 the addition of the after-grass that would be produced in the extra 

 length of time which the others require to come to maturity, the 

 produce would still be very inferior. 



A grass which produces an abundance of early foliage, and that 

 does not put forth its flowering culms till the beginning of June, 

 can be fed off till a late period of the spring without injury to the 

 crop of hay ; which, with a grass that pushes up its flowering culms 

 early in the spring, cannot be practised without doing considerable 

 injury to the hay crop. This property, therefore, of producing 

 early foliage and flowering late, must be more particularly valu- 

 able under circumstances where a breeding flock of sheep is kept. 

 The grasses which are more distinguished in this respect, are the 

 cockVfoot (Dactylis glomerata), meadow cat's-tail (Phleum pra- 

 tense), nerved meadow-grass (Poa nervata), and the wood meadow- 

 grass (Poa nemoralis). 



As the leaves of grasses are the most valuable part of the plant 

 for the purposes of grazing, a view of the quantity of nutritive mat- 

 ter, afforded by the different species in the spring, will assist 

 in deciding on their comparative value. 



About the beginning and middle of April, 1920 grains of the 

 leaves of the following grasses and other plants afford of nutri- 

 tive matter 



