THE HUNTER'S FORAGE 



meadow fox-tail, particularly the inflorescence, 

 but to the touch, that of the fox-tail is dis- 

 tinctly silky, whereas in the timothy grass it 

 is the opposite. A very common grass, espe- 

 cially in upland pastures, is that known as 

 the sweet-scented vernal, and to this is attri- 

 butable, in a large measure, that beautiful 

 aroma, so characteristic of good hay. The 

 sweet-scented vernal grass has a small head 

 and slender stalk. 



The crested dog's-tail, and the smooth- 

 stalked meadow grass, are not important forage 

 grasses, whereas the meadow fescue is regarded 

 as one of the best grasses, more particularly 

 for water meadows. The tall fescue is much 

 too coarse a grass, but the hard fescue is 

 a tolerably good grass. The rough-stalked 

 meadow grass, and the golden oat grass, are 

 looked upon as fairly good grasses, and hay 

 containing them is, by buyers, considered to 

 be good. In judging a sample of hay, it is 

 necessary to pay attention to the following 

 points : (i) Pick out samples from various 

 parts of the sack, and note the grasses contained 

 in each. (2) Ascertain how long it has been 



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