HEKBAGE USED FOR VAEIOUS PURPOSES. 651 



Shade-heariiKj Grasses. 



Vernal grass Anthuxantlmm (ujoratum, L. 



Tufted aira Aira aespitosa, L. 



Wavy aira Aira jicxuosa, L. 



Tall brome Bromus giganteiis, L. 



Sheep's fescue Festiica ovina, L. 



Reed fescue Festuca sylvatica, Vill. 



Soft holcus Tlolciis mollis, L. 



Spreading milium Miliitm effnsnm, L. 



Wood poa Poa nemoralis, L. 



&c., cVc. 



When the seed is ripe (which for most grasses is in the latter 

 half of June or July, and for others, in August and September) 

 the collectors walk in lines through extensive grassy areas, grasp 

 a handful of spikelets, cut them off and place them in a bag 

 slung in front, which is emptied from time to time on to a large 

 cloth spread out on the nearest road. The spikelets are then 

 put into sacks for removal and again spread out in sunny places 

 to dry, threshed and sifted. The chief points are to collect 

 only one species at a time and entirely avoid seed of bad 

 species ; in his own interest the forest-owner should pay atten- 

 tion to this. 



The revenue from the collection of grass -seed is sometimes 

 considerable. In the State forests of the Grand Duchy of Hesse 

 the revenues thus obtained in 187B and 1874 were respectively 

 i'634 and i'494. This covered from one quarter to one-sixth 

 of the cost of re-stocking the annual felling-areas. In 1878 

 50 acres of felling-area in the Forest of Stockstadt, near 

 Aschaffenburg, were leased for this purpose in one year for ii31. 

 Forstmeistcr Urich, at Biidingen, sows Poa nemoralis in beech 

 felling-areas and on clear-cut areas, in order to produce a crop ot 

 valuable grass-seed. The seed of JSIiliiim effiisinn (common in 

 Britain) is used as bird-seed. 



2. Herbage vsed for Various Purposes. 



Among herbage used for industrial purposes, other than those 

 already described, Carex hrizoides chiefly deserves mention ; it is 

 used instead of horsehair for stuffinj^ furniture, ^'c. This sedge 



