POA. 



POA. 



general aspect of the plant is very like the last, 

 with which it has usually been confounded ; 

 but the stems and leaves betray no roughness 

 when drawn through the hand. Spikelets four- 

 flowered ; florets lanceolate, ribbed, connected 

 by a web. But the clear and essential mark 

 of this species, compared with the last, consists 

 in its very short, abrupt, pointless stipule, which 

 in every leaf of every variety proves constant 

 and invariable. 



As an object of agriculture, this species is 

 not less valuable than the P. trivialis, especially 

 for permanent pasture. It is earlier in leaf, 

 and will thrive with less moisture, though the 

 rough-stalked meadow-grass produces, at last, 

 a better crop. Mr. Curtis, and several other 

 able botanists, have rendered great service to 

 the farmer in directing his attention to such 

 objects ; and it is undoubtedly worth his while 

 to be select in seeds for grass lands. But, after 

 all, Nature is supreme in the accommodation 

 of particular grasses to certain soils and situa- 

 tions, and whatever we may sow, unless we 

 have well studied her laws, she finally tri- 

 umphs. The great objection to this grass is 

 the property of the creeping roots to scourge 

 the soil. 



Mr. Sinclair notices, in his experiments on 

 the grasses, two varieties, the short blue mea- 

 dow-grass (P. pratensis subcaerulea) and the nar- 

 row-leaved meadow-grass (P. pratensis angusti- 

 folia}, pi. 6, c, which requires some notice here. 



The discriminating characters of the first- 

 named are as follows: Panicle diffuse; spike- 

 lets oval, generally three-flowered; the culms 

 shorter, and somewhat glaucous ; and the 

 leaves much shorter and broader than those of 

 the Poa pratensis. It may be further distin- 

 guished by its delicate sky-blue or glaucous 

 colour. From its creeping roots and other de- 

 merits, this is evidently one of the inferior 

 grasses. Although the botanical characters 

 of the narrow-leaved meadow-grass (P. angus- 

 tifolia} are not sufficient to constitute it a dis- 

 tinct species, its agricultural merits cause it to 

 differ from P. pratensis, to which it is much 

 superior. Its spring produce is considerable, 

 and its properties of early growth and great 

 nutritive matter would rank it with the most 

 valuable grasses, but for its powerful creeping 

 root. The culms are most valuable for the 

 manufacture of the finest straw-plait, in imita- 

 tion of the celebrated "Leghorn." See BLUE 

 GRASS. 



7. Annual meadow-grass, Suffolk-grass (P. 

 annua), pi. 6, c. This is an exceedingly com- 

 mon species everywhere, as well in waste as 

 cultivated ground, flowering from April to No- 

 vember. The root is fibrous. Stems pale, 

 very smooth, oblique, compressed, 3 to 12 

 inches long. Leaves of a fine light-green, 

 spreading, linear, bluntish, flaccid, roughish at 

 the edge only. Panicle small, widely spread- 

 ing. Spikelets ovate, five-flowered; florets a 

 little remote, five-ribbed, without a web. 



This is a good grass for fodder, abundant in 

 proportion to the richness of the soil, easily 

 raised, but not durable. The diminutive size 

 of the plant, however, renders its cultivation 

 unprofitable, compared with that of any other 

 of the pasture grasses. It is the most trouble- 

 920 



some weed that infests gravel walks, stone 

 pitchings, and the like. The most effectual 

 way to extirpate it in such situations is to 

 sprinkle salt on it; some recommend boiling 

 water and a layer of litter, &c. 



This grass, which Dr. Darlington calls mea- 

 dow-poa, in the Middle States goes by the name 

 of green grass, spear-grass, and meadow-grass. 

 Although it is styled an annual, it has a peren- 

 nial root. This species varies considerably, 

 in size and appearance, when growing in dif- 

 ferent soils and situations. In our best soils, 

 the radical leaves are very long and luxuriant, 

 when it is known by the name of green grass. 

 This has by some bo'tanists been made a dis- 

 tinct species, under the name of P.viridis: but 

 it is probably nothing more than a variety. It 

 is, indeed, as Muhlenberg terms it, " optimum pa- 

 bulum;" being decidedly the most valuable of 

 all the grasses known in our pastures. It has 

 not been found necessary to cultivate it, by 

 sowing the seed ; for when the land is duly 

 prepared by lime and manure, it soon takes 

 possession of the soil, or comes in, as the 

 farmers term it; and supersedes the artificial 

 grasses. In very poor land, it deteriorates so 

 much that it would scarcely be recognised as 

 the same plant. It is generally believed by the 

 botanists to be a naturalized foreigner in the 

 United States. 



8. Glaucous meadow-grass (P. glauca). This 

 species is found on the mountains of Wales, 

 Scotland, and the north of England. 



9. Wood meadow-grass (P. nemoralis). This 

 is a very common species in some districts in 

 groves and woods, especially on chalk soils. 

 The whole plant is very slender and delicate, 

 1^ or 2 feet high. Stems several, slightly com- 

 pressed, smooth, striated, leafy, with 4 or 5 

 joints. Leaves almost all on the stem, grass- 

 green, narrow, flat, more or less rough, taper- 

 ing to a fine slender point. Mr. George Sin- 

 clair speaks favourably of a variety of this 

 species, which he names P. nemoralis, var. an- 

 gustifolia. Although the produce is inconsider- 

 able compared to that of many others equally 

 nutrient, yet the early growth of this grass in 

 the spring, and its remarkably fine, succulent, 

 and nutritive herbage, recommend it strongly 

 for admission into the company of the superior 

 permanent pasture grasses. It flowers in the 

 third week of June, and ripens the seed in the 

 end of July. 



The P. aquatica, PI. 5, m, or water meadow- 

 grass, of some botanists, is the reedy sweet- 

 grass (Glyceria aquatica) of Smith. The decum- 

 bent meadow-grass (P. decumbens) is the de- 

 cumbent heath-grass (Triodia decumbens) of 

 Smith's English Flora. The reflexed meadow- 

 grass (P. distans} of Sinclair is the reflexed 

 sweet-grass {Glyceria distant") of modern bo- 

 tanists. The Glyceria fluitans is also sometimes 

 called the Poafluitans. 



One or two exotic species are mentioned in 

 Sinclair's work on the grasses, viz., 



The soft meadow-grass (P. cenisia). This 

 alpine species is a native of Germany, and 

 attains to a greater size than most others of 

 the same class. The root is fibrous. Panicle 

 diffuse, nodding. Its nutrient properties, as 

 indicated by the quantity of nutritive matter i< 



