HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 271 



first slower on the clayey loam, yet, in the second year, the pro- 

 duce from the clayey loam was exactly triple the weight of that 

 from the sandy soil. The florin afforded the greatest produce on 

 the second and third years ; after this, unless top-dressings are 

 applied, the produce declines. On peat soils, this effect of the 

 fibrous surface roots is much less. The common bent is one of 

 the earliest of the bent grasses; in this respect it is superior 

 to every other of this family, but inferior to several of them in the 

 quantity of produce it affords and the nutritive matter it contains. 

 It is the most common grass on natural sandy pastures ; and even 

 on more tenacious soils, that are elevated and exposed, it is fre- 

 quent. 



It flowers from the third week of June till the second week of 

 July, and the seed is ripe the beginning of August. 



AGROSTIS vulgaris canina. Awned Fine Bent. (Brown bent, 

 Wither. Arr.) Sm. Engl. Fl. Agrostis vulgaris, var. 0. 



Agrostis vulgaris, var. 1. (Dr. Smith); Agrostis canina (Wither- 

 ing's Arr.). 



Specific character: Calyx valves nearly equal, blossom valves 

 very unequal; awn jointed, twice the length of the corolla, 

 fixed just below its middle. 



Obs. The Agrostis canina of Dr. Smith having only one valve 

 to the corolla, has been by Schrader referred to the genus 

 trichodium. As this is a much less common plant than the 

 variety of Agrostis vulgaris before described, and as it differs 

 so much from that variety in the properties which constitute 

 the Farmer's distinguishing characters of grasses, the name 

 canina is here added. It is distinguished from the Agrostis 

 vulgaris mutica by its panicle, which is larger and less crowded 

 with florets : the culms are ascending, not so upright as those 

 of the mutica : indeed, by this last distinction it is known at 

 first sight from the other. The awns, which are knee-bent 

 also, leave no room for doubt. The vulgaris mutica is more 

 common to sandy soils ; the v. canina to clayey soils ; and is 

 therefore introduced here for the convenience of comparison. 

 There is another variety of this grass without awns, distin- 

 guished from the A. vulgaris by its ascending straws and 

 meagre wide-spreading panicle, but which is still less common. 

 Hort. Gram. Fol. 147. Agrostis canina. German, Gemeines 

 Straussgrass. 



