GRASS. 



GRASS. 



the land meanwhile becoming richer in two or 

 three years from the sheep manure. After mid- 

 summer, however, sheep prefer the rye-grass. 

 Sinclair, it is stated, considers "no grass so 

 well suited for all purposes as cock's-foot." 

 {Code of Agriculture.') 



It is observed, by high authority, "that if one 

 species only is thought preferable to another ; 

 in the alternate husbandry, that species is the j 

 cock's-foot, from its more numerous merits, j 

 But a certain supply of the most nutricious ! 

 herbage throughout the season will be in vain 

 looked for from any one species of grass, and 

 can only be found where nature has provided it 

 in a combination of many." (Hort.Grum. Wob., 

 2d ed. p. 414.) 



The Woolly Soft Grass (PI. 5, c), is an imper- 

 fect perennial, and rather a late flowering 

 grass, of a short, unsubstantial appearance, 

 and found chiefly in poor, dry soils. It is, 

 however, a very common grass on all soils, 

 from the richest to the poorest. It affords 

 abundance of seed, light, and easily dispersed 

 by the wind. According to Sinclair, of Wo- 

 burn, it appears to be generally disliked by all 

 sorts of cattle. It answers, however, for sheep 

 pasture. Being left almost untouched by cat- 

 tle, it appears the most productive part of the 

 herbage, which leads to a false conception of 

 its produce. The hay made from it is gene- 

 rally disliked by cattle. The Woburn experi- 

 ments lead to the conclusion that the Holcus 

 mollis, or couch grass, is a better plant for hay 

 than the species here noticed, but that is a 

 more durable perennial, and therefore belongs 

 to another class of grasses. 



TALL HAT GRASSKS of permanent duration. 

 "No permanent grass," says Loudon, "has 

 been found equal to the rye-grass for the pur- 

 poses of convertible husbandry, but others 

 have been selected, which are considered su- 

 perior for hay meadows. The principal of 

 these are the fescue, fox-tail, and meadow- 

 grass." (Encyr. of Agr.) 



Of the various species of fescue grass, there 

 are three held in the highest estimation in 

 England as meadow hay-grasses, viz.: 



The Meadow or Fertile Fescue Grass (Festitca 

 pratensisy PI. 5, W). This is found in rich mea- 

 dows and pastures, and is highly grateful to 

 all kinds of stock. In England it is more in 

 demand for laying down meadows than any 

 other species, except the rye-grass. The loss 

 sustained by leaving the crop of this grass till 

 the seed be ripe is very great, since by the Wo- 

 burn experiments it appears that the value of 

 this grass, at the time the seed is ripe, is, to 

 that at the time of flowering, as 6 to 18. It 

 may be observed, that there is a great differ- 

 ence between straws or leaves that have been 

 dried after they were cut in a succulent state, 

 and those which are dried by nature while 

 growing. The former retain all their nutritive 

 powers, but the latter, if completely dry, very 

 little, if any. 



The Tall or Infertile Fescue Grass (Festuca ela- 

 tior, PI. 5, e}. This, in appearance, differs but 

 little from the meadow fescue, except in being 

 larger in every respect. The produce, how- 

 ever, is nearly three times greater; the nutri- 

 tive properties being also greater, in the pro- 



portion of 6 to 8. This grass takes its name in 

 England from its seeds being infertile when 

 cultivated, it being produced by parting the 

 roots and planting them out. 



The Spiked Fescue Grass, or Darnel Fescue 

 Grass (Festuca loliacea, PI. 5,/). resembles the 

 rye-grass in appearance, and the tall fescue in 

 the infertility of its seeds. "It is," says Lou- 

 don, " considered superior to rye-grass either 

 for hay or permanent pasture, and improves 

 in proportion to its age, which is the reverse 

 of what takes place with the rye-grass." 



The Meadow Fox-tail Grass (Alopecurus pro- 

 tensii, PI. 5, g), is found in most English mea- 

 dows, and where the soil is neither very moist 

 nor very dry, but in good heart, is very produc- 

 tive. It also does well on water meadows. 

 Sheep and horses seem to relish it better than 

 oxen. In the Woburn experiments, the result 

 gave nearly three-fourths of produce greater 

 from a clayey loam than from a sandy soil, 

 the grass from the latter being comparatively 

 of less value in the proportion of 4 to 6. 



Of the Meadow Grasses, there are two species 

 most esteemed in England and Scotland as hay 

 plants, the smooth-stalked and roughish, which 

 compose the greater part of some of the most 

 celebrated meadows, especially those near 

 Edinburgh. 



The Great or Smooth-stalked Meadow Grass 

 the Spear-grass of America (Poa pratensis, 

 PI. 5, A), is distinguished by its height, smooth 

 stem, and creeping roots. According to Sole, 

 it is the best of all the grasses. Its foliage be- 

 gins to shoot and put on a fine verdure early 

 in the spring, but not so soon as some other 

 grasses. Every animal that eats grass is fond 

 of it; while it makes the best hay, and affords 

 the richest pasture. It abounds in some of the 

 best meadows in Great Britain, and has the 

 valuable property of abiding in the same land, 

 while most other grasses are continually 

 changing. According to some, it delights in 

 rather a dry than a moist soil and situation, on 

 which account it keeps its verdure better in dry 

 seasons, but it thrives most luxuriantly in rich, 

 meadows. A loss of more than one-fourth of 

 the value of the whole crop is sustained if it is 

 not cut till the seed be ripe, the straws being 

 then dry, and the root-leaves in a decaying and 

 sickly state. Those of the lattermath, on the 

 contrary, are luxuriant and healthy. This 

 species sends forth flower-stalks but once in a 

 season, and those being the most valuable part 

 of the plant for the purpose of hay, it will, 

 from this circumstance, and the superior value 

 of the grass of the lattermath, compared to that 

 of the seed-crop, appear Avell adapted for per- 

 manent pasture. It was of this grass that the 

 American prize bonnet, in imitation of Leg- 

 horn, was manufactured by Miss Woodhouse. 



The roughish meadow-grass (Poa trivialis, PI. 

 5, i), delights in moist, rich, and sheltered situ- 

 ations, where it grows 2 feet high, and is very 

 j productive. By the Woburn experiments it ap- 

 ! pears that the proportional value in which the 

 grass of the seed crop exceeds that at the time 

 ! of flowering is as 8 to 11. The proportional 

 ; value by which the grass of the lattermath ex- 

 1 ceeds that of the flowering crop is as 8 to 12, 

 and that of the seed crop as 11 to 12. Here, 



