336 HORTUS GRAM INK US WOBUIINENSLS. 



>sand is most abundant, the meadow fescue (Festuca pralensis), 

 Welch fescue (Festuca Cambrica), sweet-scented vernal-grass 

 (Anthoxanthum odoratum), woolly oat-grass (Arena p?ibescens) t 

 purple fescue-grass (Festuca rubra), early hair-grass (Aim precox), 

 crested hair-grass (Aira cristata), common bent grass (Agrostis 

 vulgaris), upright bent-grass (Agrostis stricta), bundled-leaved 

 bent (Agrostis fascicularis), common quaking-grass (Briza media}, 

 and flat-stalked meadow-grass (Poa compressa), are most prevalent. 

 Where the calcareous matter predominates, we find, in the greatest 

 abundance, sheep's fescue (Festuca ovina), meadow-oat-grass 

 (Avena pratensis), upright brome-grass (Bromus erectns), pinnate 

 brome (Bromus pinnatus), knee-jointed meadow cat's-tail (Phleum 

 nodosum), and (Phleum pratense), varietas minor. Unless there be 

 in the soil some proportion of argil, neither the Avena flavescem, 

 Dactylis glomerata, nor Cynosurus cristatus, will grow. Mixed 

 with the preceding natural grasses, over these downs, are to be 

 found some species of scabiosa, orchis, carex, trifoHum, plantago, 

 lotus, ornithopus, poterium, anthyUis, hedysarum, medicago, campa- 

 nula, and hieracium. Mr. Taunton expresses little doubt that in 

 a sandy chalk down, with a tolerable depth of soil, and with 

 such a proportion of argil as not to starve the cock's-foot, the 

 union of cock's-foot, meadow-fescue, narrow-leaved brome-grass, 

 yellow oat-grass, upright brome-grass, barley-like fescue, common 

 quaking-grass, downy oat-grass, and meadow oat-grass, would 

 afford a permanent crop of a ton of hay per acre, per annum. 



Of the different grasses natural to dry siliceous sandy soils that 

 have been submitted to experiment, and mentioned in the foregoing 

 series, the sheep's-fescue (Festuca ovina), flexuose hair-grass (Aim 

 Jlexuosa), long-awned sheep's-fescue (Festuca ovina hordeiformis), 

 common bent-grass (Agrostis vulgaris), flat-stalked meadow-grass 

 (Poa compressa), and common bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus cornicu- 

 latus), prove to be the best. For dry calcareous soils, on chalky 

 subsoils, the meadow oat-grass (Avena pratensis), upright flat- 

 stalked meadow-grass (Poa compressa), crested brome-grass (Bro- 

 mus cristatus), will be found the most valuable, if no alteration 

 be made in the nature of the soil. 



It has already been observed, that the value of these grasses, 

 even when cultivated in the best manner, are only adapted for the 

 maintenance of sheep ; and to introduce the superior pasture 

 grasses on such soils, the previous application of clay or marl 

 is absolutely necessary. When this important point has been 



