36 NATIVE GRASSES. 



old. At the christening of a child, bread is some- 

 times made use of that was baked in the time of its 

 great-grandfather. 



EDWARD. 

 Are all these grasses natives of England ? 



MOTHER. 



The particular species which are most valuable 

 are not native; but we shall find others of the same 

 genera that are. 



Couch-grass, the weed that our gardener finds 

 so troublesome, belongs to a genus formerly placed 

 in the genus Trit'icum, but now considered as an 

 Agros'tichum. In this species (A. repens), the 

 roots, which have a sweet taste like liquorice, are 

 sold in the markets at Naples as food for horses, 

 and are sometimes ground and made into bread. 

 The seeds of the Festu'ca fiVitans, floating Fescue, 

 are very large and sweetish, and are gathered for 

 the table in Poland, and some other countries, 

 where they are called manna. 



Wall-barley or Way Bennet, Hor'deum muri'- 

 num, is a weed very common by road-sides, and is 

 eaten by horses and sheep. 



The animated Oats, that your aunt sometimes 

 amuses you with, are the seeds of the Ave'na fa'tua, 

 which grows wild in corn-fields. 

 . The Sea- Ly me- grass jEl'ymus arena'rius, which 

 is found pretty commonly on some of our own, 

 shores, grows abundantly in Iceland and Green- 



