668 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 11 



vary according to the nature of the land ; thus — 



Sandy soils are generally stocked with hard 

 and smooth tescue-gryss ; sheep's lescue; crested 

 dog's-tail; smooth-slalked and meadow soft-grass; 

 oat-like soft-grass, and some cree[)ing plants oi 

 little nole. 



Calcarenjis soils abound with white clover; 

 rough cock's-fbot; meadow, hard and sheep's 

 fescue; perennial rye-grass; upright perennial 

 brome ; rib-grass; yarrow; burnet; yellow oat, 

 and sweet-scented vernal-grass. 



jlrgillacenus soils encourage meadow fox-tail ; 

 meadow cat's-tail, or timothy grass; cock's-lbot ; 

 tali and meadow fescue ; tall and yellow oat-grass ; 

 rib-grass; yarrow; bush-vetch; sweet-scented 

 vernal and perennial rye-grass. 



Peaty soils have been found to contain sweet- 

 scented vernal-grass; rough cock's-tbot ; meadow 

 soft-grass; meadow fox-tail; meadow cat's-tail; 

 creef)ing bent, and crested doii's-tail. 



Fenny soils produce creeping bent, or florin : 

 flote lescue ; flote fox-tail ; water-hair grass ; and 

 water-poa, or reed meadow-grass; and generally 

 the usual aquatic plants. 



A mixed soil, composed of these earths — sand, 

 chalk, and clay — is found to give vigor to the fol- 

 lowinor permanent grasses, of ihe qualities of the 

 chief of which, and some of their varieties, we an- 

 nex a brief description, together with some notes 

 made by Mr. Taunton, a gentleman well known 

 as an agriculturist, who, in 1823, sowed a great 

 number on separate plots of a field of five acres of 

 hazel-colored loamy sand, upon a chalky sub-soil ; 

 as well as upon some calcareous heights in the 

 county of Surrey ; and which, smce that period, 

 have never been manured, nor in some years, 

 either mown or fed, until 1832, when his reniarks 

 were made.* Of these, several are known by the 

 collective names of "Poas" and "i^es/«crts,"'from 

 these beincp the terms respectively applied to them 

 by botanists: terms which we also retain in com- 

 pliance with a custom lately introduced by almost 

 everyone who writes upon agriculture, though we 

 cannot help thinking, that, among farmers,"it sa- 

 vors more of affectation, than of any real know- 

 ledge of botany. Many of them, however, bemtr 

 only unimportant varieties of the same species, 

 will not be here noticed, as those who may wish 

 to ascertain the distinctive properties of each, will 

 find a minute and scientific description of every 

 class of the natural as well as culriv;ited British 

 grasses, in the " Hortus Gramineas Woburnensis" 

 of the late Mr. Sinclair— a work which should be 

 in the hands of every intelligent farmer. 



Poa annua, or annual meadow-grass, is not, 

 as its name implies, permanent; yet, being in 

 flower at diflerent periods during the whole of the 

 summer, it produces seeds, even when mown or 

 fed, which spring again, and thus it Pjrms a part 

 of the sward as constantly as if it were perennial. 

 Cattle of every kind are fond of it, and it is thought 

 to have a peculiarly good eflijct upon milch cows 

 in improving the quality of the butter; though its 

 produce is comparatively small. 



Poa pratensis, or smooth-stalked poa, is one of 



a month later ; and care should be taken not to p;ather 

 thorn, until in a perfect state of maturity, or the plants 

 will fail. 



* See the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, N. S., 

 vol. iii. p. 406. 



the most useful grasses, for it vegetates in the 

 driest soils, supports its verdure during the winter, 

 and in the spring throws out numerous shoots for 

 early pasture : the hay is also of fine quality, and 

 it flowers in the month of May. 



Poa trivialis, or rough-stalked poa, bears a con- 

 siderable resemblance to the preceding, both in its 

 appearance and in the value of its hay ; but its 

 other properties are in some respects widely differ- 

 ent, fbr while that flourishes in dry land, this is 

 chiefly found on low meadows or moist pastures, 

 and is therefore well adapted to ground which is 

 intended to be irrigated. It also flowers rather 

 later than the fbrmer, and is a tender grass, liable 

 to be injured both by severe cold, or by excessive 

 drouffht. It, however, afiords abundant herbage, 

 and, in places suited to it, grows to such a prodi- 

 gious length, that it is said to have been found in 

 the famous Orcheston Meadow, near Salisbury 

 Plain, flill eight ffeet long.* 



Poa compressa, or creeping poa, flowers during 

 the oreater part of the sunmier, and is considered 

 one of the most valuable of the tribe ; fbr its dark 

 green leaves, grow so firmly together, as to form 

 a short turf of the richest pasture, which is sup- 

 posed to contribute much to the delicate flavor of 

 the flesh of sheep and deer, to which animals it is 

 peculiarly grateful. 



Poa angiistifolia, or narrow-leaved poa, is a 

 rich grass which delights in calcareous sandy soils, 

 as well as in loamy clay ; but, being a running- 

 rooted plant, it should be only sparingly introduced 

 among other grasses. 



Poa nemoralis, or wood-meadow grass, has the 

 peculiar property of flowering under the shade of 

 trees, which renders it valuable on land which 

 either contains forest timber, or which is closely 

 fenced by plantations ; but Mr. Taunton says, that 

 in several beds of considerable extent, on which 

 he has sown it, the plants were completely over- 

 powered by other grasses; this was also the case 

 with several diflerent varieties of the poa species, 

 as well as with many other grasses, which he in- 

 clines to attribute to the seeds being sown in too 

 large quantities. 



Festuca pratensis, or meadow-fescue, is a hardy 

 plant, which bears broad succulent leaves, and, 

 though a coarse grass Avith very hard stems, is 

 well adapted to almost every kind of land, but 

 more particulariy to loams, active peat soils, or 

 healthy well-chained clays : grows naturally on 

 all pasture land that is not too dry. It is of very 

 quick growth, produces an abundance of sweet her- 

 bage, which is much relished by all sorts of cattle, 

 makes o'ood hay, and flowers about the middle of 

 June. Its seeds are also very abundant, and easily 

 collected. 



Festuca elatior, or tall fescue, Mr. Taunton con- 

 siders as both the laro-est and most vigorous plant 

 of which he is possessed. In a small meadow, on 

 a loamy clay, which has not been manured for 

 these nine years, but in which it forms a principal, 



* Papers of the Bath Agricultural Society, vol. ix. 

 p. 154. Both species propajjate themselves, but very 

 slowly, by the roots ; and, therefore, if not occasionally 

 allowed to perfect their seeds, they will be subject to 

 decay, unless fresh seeds be sown : in which case they 

 sliould be separated by beinij well rubbed in a suffi- 

 cient quantity of dry sand or lime, as tliey are connect- 

 ed by filaments which cause tliem to cling together. 

 Those of the former are blunt; the latter pointed. 



