

GRASS. 



clay. 3d. Sandy loam, when the greatest pro- 

 portion is sand. 4th. Brown loam, when the 

 greatest proportion consists of decayed vege- 

 table matter. 5th. Rich black loam, when sand, 

 clay, animal, and vegetable matters are com- 

 bined in unequal proportions, the clay, greatly 

 divided, being in the least proportion, and the 

 sand and vegetable matter in the greatest. 

 The terms light sandy soil, light brown 

 loam, &c., are varieties of the above, as ex- 

 pressed. 



The systematical arrangement of grasses is 

 a difficult and unsatisfactory task, and has oc- 

 cupied the attention of many botanists. The 

 most recent work upon the subject is Kunth's 

 jjgrostographia, published at Berlin in 1836. 



In choosing the mixture of grass seeds most 

 valuable for the farmer's soil, many considera- 

 tions must be taken into calculation; not only 

 the nature of the soil, and the supply of water 

 to which its habits are best adapted, but also 

 the objects which the farmer has in view. 

 Thus, the meadow foxtail (Mopecurus praten- 

 *is), although an early, nutritive, and produc- 

 tive grass, requires more than t\vo years to 

 arrive at perfection; it is, therefore, better 

 adapted for permanent pasture than for the 

 alternative husbandry. And then, again, the 

 meadow cat' s-tail or timothy (Phleumpratente'), 

 although remarkable for producing the most 

 nutritious culms of all the grasses, and that, 

 too, in a considerable bulk, yields aftermath 

 of very little value. Valuable, therefore, as it 

 is for hay, it is of little consideration for feed- 

 ing purposes if sown by itself; it must, there- 

 fore, be combined with other grasses. So the 

 cock's-foot or orchard grass (Dactylis glome- 

 rata), which soon arrives at perfection, and 

 yields early and late a profusion of leaves, 

 which are highly nutritive, has culms or stalks 

 of little value; it is a grass, therefore, most 

 profitable for feeding purposes. "Under these 

 different relations, therefore," says Mr. G. Sin- 

 clair, "a grass should be considered, before 

 it is absolutely rejected, or indiscriminately 

 recommended." 



The knowledge of the relative nutritive mat- 

 ters contained in different grasses, will also 

 not only be a highly important object of re- 

 search, as connected with -their feeding pro- 

 perties, but as throwing considerable light on 

 the powers of the different grasses to exhaust 

 or impoverish the soil, a question which I 

 shall examine more at length under the head 

 "Rotation of Crops." A more intimate and 

 extensive knowledge, with regard to the com- 

 position of plants, may be derived from even 

 an examination of their external appearance 

 than many persons would deem possible. The 

 following are some of the general results of 

 the observations of Sinclair: 



1. Grasses which have culms with swollen 

 joints, leaves thick and succulent, and flowers 

 with downy husks, contain greater proportions 

 of sugar and mucilage than those of a less 

 succulent nature. 



2. When this structure is of a light glaucous 

 colour, the sugar is generally in excess. 



3. Grasses which have clums with small 

 joints; flowers pointed, collected into a spike 

 or spike-like panicle ; leaves thin, flat, rough, 



72 



GRASS. 



and of a light green colour, contain a greater 

 proportion of extractive matter than others. 



4. Grasses which have culms furnished 

 with numerous joints; leaves smooth and suc- 

 culent; flowers in a spike or close panicle; 

 florets blunt and large, contain most gluten and 

 mucilage. 



5. When this structure is of a glaucous 

 colour, and the florets woolly, sugar is in the 

 next proportion to mucilage. 



6. Grasses which have their flowers in a 

 panicle, florets pointed or awned, points of the 

 culm smooth a,nd succulent, contain most mu- 

 cilage and extractive. 



7. Grasses with flowers in a panicle ; florets 

 thinly scattered, pointed, or furnished with 

 long awns ; culms lofty, with leaves flat and 

 rough, contain a greater proportion of saline 

 matter and bitter extractive. 



8. Grasses with strong, creeping roots, culms 

 few, leaves flat and rough, flower in a spike, 

 contain a greater proportion of bitter extract 

 with mucilage. (Hort. Gram. Wob. p. 42.) 



In the first part of April 1920 grains of the 

 leaves of the following grasses, &c. afford, ac- 

 cording to Mr. G. Sinclair, the following pro- 

 portions of nutritive matter : 



o. 



Meadow foxtail-grans, (PI. 5, g) - - 96 

 Tall oat-like soft-grass, (PI. 5, ce) - - 120 

 Sweet-scented vernal, (PI. 6, a) - - 52 



Round-panicled cock's-foot, (PI. 5, b) - 80 

 Perennial rye-grass, (PI. 5, o) - - - 70 



Tall fescue, (PI. 5, e) 94 



Meadow f.;scue, (PI. 5, ild) - - - - 98 

 Crestfd dog's-tail, (PI. 6, /) ... 88 



Woolly soft-grass 80 



Creeping soft grass, (PI. 5, c) - - - 90 

 Meadow cat's-tail, (PI. 5, *) - - - 80 

 Fertile meadow-grass - - - - 70 



Nerved meadow-grass - - - - 76 

 Smooth awnless brome-grass, (PI. 7, b) 84 



Wood meadow-grass - ... 68 



Smooth fescue, (PI. 6, A) ... 70 



Long-awned sheep's fescue, (PI. 6, k) 102 



Darnel-like fescue (PI. 5, /) - - 110 



Creeping bent, or florin (PI. 5, n) - 42 



Wood florin 62 



Yellow vetchling .... 40 



Roug '-stalked meadow-grass, (PI. 5, i) 80 



Broad-leaved red clover, (PI. 8, b) 80 



White, or Dutch clover, (PI. 8, o) - 64 



Common quaking grass, (PI. 6, n) - 54 



Greater bird's-foot trefoil, (PI. 9, A) - 60 



Long-rooted clover, (PI. 8, A) - - 76 



Lucern, (PI. 8, A) 90 



Bunias 100 



Burnet, (PI. 9, a) - - - - - - 100 



Cow parsnp - - - - ' - 90 



(Ibid. p. 239.) 



It may not be uninteresting to the cultivator 

 to learn of what these nutritive matters con- 

 sist; the following is the result of Mr. Sin- 

 clair's examinations : 



3u2 



569 



