174 



GRA 



GRA 



to the account. From the couch- 

 ant nature of this grass it is deno- 

 minated couch-grass by practical 

 men, and from the length of time 

 that it retains the vital power after 

 being taken out of the soil, is cal- 

 led squitch, quick, full of life, &:c." 

 See Massachusetts Agricultural 

 Repository, vol. 111. p. 32 to 37. 



8. Darnel, or Rye Grass, Loli- 

 um Perenne. " Sheep eat this 

 grass when it is in the early stage 

 of its growth, in preference to most 

 others ; but after the seed ap- 

 proaches towards perfection, they 

 leave it for almost any other kind. 

 A field in the park of Woburn was 

 laid down in two equal parts, one 

 part with rye grass and white clo- 

 ver, and the other part with cock's- 

 foot and red clover ; from spring 

 till mid-suuimer the sheep kept al- 

 most constantly on the rye grass ; 

 but after that time they left it, and 

 adhered with equal constancy to 

 the cock's-foot during the remain- 

 der of the season." Agricultural 

 Chemistry, 



,9. Dactylis Glomerata. Cock'^s- 

 Foot. Oxen, horses, and sheep eat 

 this grass readily. The oxen con- 

 tinue to eat the straws and flowers, 

 from the time of flowering, till the 

 time of perfecting the seed ; this 

 was exemplified in a striking man- 

 ner in the field alluded to. The 

 oxen generally kept to the cock's- 

 foot and red clover, and the sheep 

 to the rye grass and white clover." 

 Agricultural Chemistry. 



10. " Alopecurus Pratensis, 

 Meadow Fox tail. Sheep and hor- 

 ses seem to have a greater relish 

 for this grass than oxen. It delights 

 in a soil of intermediate quality as 



to moisture and dryness, and is 

 very productive. Agricultural 

 Chemistry . 



11." Green Grass. Poa Viridis, 

 is a native of the United States. and 

 especially of Pennsylvania, where 

 it grows in all meadows and on rich 

 soils. Dr. Muhlenberg says it is 

 not described by Linnasus, though 

 nearly allied to his poa angustifo- 

 lia. It may be easily known by 

 the followuig description. "Culm 

 (or haulm) erect and round (co- 

 lumnar) panicle diflfuse, spicules 

 five flowered and hairy at their 

 base." Cattle are very fond of 

 this grass, if cut when the blossom 

 opens. It produces less than the 

 Avena elatior, or tall meadow-oats, 

 but horses prefer it. It continues 

 green until even after frost, and 

 when all other herbage is destroy- 

 ed ; and if manured will continue 

 forever. The fine grazing farm of 

 Mr. Wm. West, of Upper Darby, 

 Delaware County, consists entire- 

 ly of this grass. Mr. W. finds it 

 necessary to sow clover thinly on 

 the green grass sod every three or 

 four years, to correct a slight ten- 

 dency which green grass has to 

 bind the soil. When the Green 

 Grass appears upon meadows made 

 by banking out rivers, care must 

 be taken to secure a supply of wa- 

 ter ; otherwise, according to Mr. 

 J. Cooper, the ends of the seeds 

 will become affected with a black 

 spear, about one fourth or one half 

 an inch in length, similar to the 

 smut on rye, and cause a loss of the 

 hoofs of cattle that eat the grass. 



12. " Blue Grass, Poa compres- 

 sa, a native grass of the United 

 States, having " a compressed ob- 



