670 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 11 



is also known as " Tiniothy-gra?s," under which 

 name it has been extensively cuhivatecl, iincom- 

 bined with other grasses, in America, where it 

 produces very large crops, and when first imported 

 into this country was su[)posed to be a new spe- 

 cies. It is cliiefly produced "on moist and rich 

 loams and peaty soils ; was Ibund by Mr. Taunton 

 to have nearly vanished iiom his challv and rich 

 Joam}^ sand, and to have entirely disappeared from 

 the poor calcareous heights. The first variotj- is 

 said b}'" Mr. Sinclair, to be the most valuable for 

 pastures of the first and second quality ol' land ; 

 yet the second is superior, particularly liir winter 

 lood, in the poorer soils. On the elevated declivi- 

 ties ol" clay soils, it pushes up shoots of great suc- 

 culence, which, if neglected in the summer, are 

 rendered palatable to stock by the frost.* When 

 used for ereen food, for which purpose it is pecu- 

 liarly calculated, it yields abundantly throughout 

 the .summer, and is well relished by cattle, if kept 

 close fed dovyn ; but if made into hay, it should be 

 cut before it comes into flower, as the stems will 

 otherwise become as coarse as straw: it, however, 

 flowers late, and ma)', therefore, be advantageous- 

 ly mixed with other meadow grasses, though its 

 seeds are small and difficult to collect. 



Dadylis ghnnerata, or rough cock's-foot, flowers 

 in June, and is also sometimes cultivated alone, 

 but in that case it should be likewise cut early if 

 made into hay, or kept close fed down ; for, if al- 

 lowed to become rank, it grows very coarse, arid 

 will in that state be rejected by cattle, though in 

 its young growth they readily eat it, and sheep 

 have a decided liking for it. If allowed to get up, 

 it also forms large tufts of a very unsightly ap- 

 pearance, which overpower the other grasses. It 

 produces vciy abundant drops upon land of a me- 

 dium quality, on most of which it is very common ; 

 but light sands, or chalky downs, and either a total 

 want of clay, or very sfiH' and wet clays, are alike 

 unfriendly to its growth. It springs early, which 

 is an essential point in pastures ;_ and, if made info 

 hay, it quickly yields an abundance of after-grass. 

 If sown alone, two bushels per acre is the usual 

 quantity; and as it thrives with great luxuriance 

 under the shade of treesj it is a valuable plant to 

 be sown in orchards. 



y/vena elatior, oi; tall oat-grass, thoucrh a coarse 

 plant, yet vegetates with fjreat luxuriance; but, 

 according to Sir H;mi[>hry Davy, though very pro- 

 ductive, it is disliked b}' cattle, especially by horses, 

 which, he says, perfectly atrrees with the small 

 portion of nutritive matter which it contains. lie 

 adtls that it thrives best on strong tenacious clay ; 

 but Mr. Sinclair states that its variety, the IJolcim 

 avsnaceus, or tall oat-like soft-grass, though found 

 in clays and shady places, is natural to sandy 

 loams. f 



jfvcna flnvescenfi, or yellow oat-grass, ihouQ-h 

 another variety of tlie above, is stated by Sir 

 Humphry Da\y,^to thrive so much better on cal- 

 careous soils, that its produce has been doubled by 

 a top-dressing of lime; but that, although not 

 liked by cattle, it is said to make good sheep pas- 



* Sinclair on the grasses best adapted for winter 

 pasture: Prize Essays of tlie Highland Society, No. 

 XX. p. 32. 



t Davy's Lectures on Aijric. Cliem., p. 36S. Sin- 

 clair on the grasses best suited for winter pastures: 

 Prize Essays of tiie Highland Society, No. xx. p. 32. 



tures. As they both, however, seldom flower be- 

 fore the beginning of July, they are generally 

 mown before that fime ; and, therefore, being then 

 comparatively tender, this dislike, if it really ex- 

 ists, is not observeable in the hay. Mr. Toilet 

 says, that cattle are very fond of it ; and the Rev. 

 Arthur Young states it to be a profitable grass 

 " when kept close ted."* This difference of opin- 

 ion we must leave to the experience of others to 

 reconcile, only remarking, that we have never 

 heard any objection made to it by farmers; as 

 well as that of Mr. Taunton, regarding the soil 

 to which it is most appropriate, for he says, "that 

 in parts where the soil was too light to encourage 

 its luxuriant growth, it dwindled and became in- 

 significant, but that it appears to cherish a consi- 

 derable afl^ection for argil." He adds, however, 

 "that it is so rich in its qualities, and so universal 

 a citizen of the world, that there is no soil, from 

 the lightest calcareous loam, to the stillest clay, 

 into which he would not introduce it, where he in- 

 tended to produce a permanent turf" 



ylchilha millcfoUmn, or yarrow, is one of the 

 most common as well as one of the most valuable 

 of our grasses, as it has been found to form part of 

 all our richest pastures, and is so grateful to every 

 species of stock, that it is close led down as fast as 

 it springs, thus frequently escaping observation 

 unless the turf be attentively examined. A con- 

 siderable prejudice was, however, formerly enter- 

 tained airainst this plant, which was by many per- 

 sons considered worthless, or even injurious to cat- 

 i lie, until the contrary was proved by Dr. Ander- 

 I son,t and confirmed by Sinclair, who, however, 

 I considers it beneficial to stock, rather as a condi- 

 j ment, tlian as afibrding direct nutritive matter. It 

 I suits almost every species of soil, and possesses 

 i besides the faculty of resisting drought on arid 

 land. It flowers about the end of June, or the be- 

 ginning of July. 



Holats lanaivs, or woolly soft -grass, called also 

 " Yorkshire white," flourishes about the latter end 

 of June, in moist, sandy situations, and together 

 with another variety, the Helens mollis, or com- 

 mon soft-grass, is chiefly used on sheep walks, and 

 answers well for that purpose, but is not relished 

 by other cattle, and is said to occasion a violent 

 discharge of urine and general weakness, if given 

 to horses. 



jJnihnxanthum odorotiim, or sweet-scented ver- 

 nal, is one of the earliest of our grasses, and grows 

 on almost every kind of soil. Although neither 

 very productive nor nutritive, and fiir fi-om being a 

 favorite with cattle when given to them alone, it 

 yet possesses a peculiar value of being the only 

 fragrant plant natural to our fields, and imparts the 

 delightliil perfume which is so perceptible in new 

 hay. It, indeed, forms a part ot' the herbage on 

 all good meadow land, and although its chief utili- 

 ty seems to consist in giving flavor to the dried 

 fodder, yet, when thus mixed, it is grateful to all 

 stock, and, therefore, shoukl always be sown with 

 the other seeds of permanent grass. 



J^olhim perenne, or perennial rye-grass, contains 

 upwards of sixty varieties, some of which are an- 

 nual. It has been so anciently cultivated in En- 

 gland, thai it is mentioned in " Worlidge's Hus- 



* Davy's Lectures, p. 369. Toilet, Coram, to the 

 Board of Agric. vol. iii. p. 433. Young, ib. 146. 

 t Essays, vol. ii. p. 252. 



