GRASSES. 



t tbia. period of growlVi, 

 then in a larger proportioa li, ->,",'m "'^'■t^'" being 

 also, that the crop at the period of flo\\ft'r..observe(J, 

 succulent, and consequently more grateful to stock 

 than the former, which circumstance counterbalances 

 the value of the extra quantity of nutritive matter, 

 and decides in favor of the period of flowering as 

 the most proper to take the crop for hay. The fact 

 of nutritive matter being abundant in the seed crop 

 will not be lost sight of in disposing of the culm, by 

 those who save the seed of the cock's foot. 



Fio. 2. 

 The produce of lattermath is — ' 



lbs. per .acre. 



Herbage 11,910 



Jfutritiye mittbr in ditto 28) 



The proportional value wbWK lattermath of cock's 

 foot grass bears to that at the time or fl^v^-ering va- 

 ries from five to three, and seven to two, act>.,iJt;«(5 

 to the circumrtances of soil and season. 



This is one of the most valuable of the grasses. 

 It springs very quickly alter being cropped, and con- 

 tinues productive, with little interruption, throughout 

 pasture- ^^as^lstit Wiff fidl*'vfflefi*'sf)Vn'Y)y'ftsM'Vorin 

 a close sward, but becomes tufty. When sown in 

 certain proportions according to the soil, in combi- 

 nation with others, it is a very profitable plant. It 

 requires to be depastured closely, under every cir- 

 cumstance, to reap the full advantage of its great 

 merits. In the pastures niost celebrated for fattening 

 and keeping the largest quantity of stock in De- 

 vonshire, Lincolnshire, and in Aylesbury, England, 

 which we minutely and carefully examined, we found 

 cock's-foot in every instance to constitute a portion 

 of the herbage. In the most skillfully managed of 

 these pastures, the foliage or herbage of the cock's- 

 foot was to be distinguished only by an expeiienced 

 eye from that of the Mopecitrns pratensis, Poapra- 

 tensis, Poa trivialis, Lolium Perenne, Cyno$urvs 

 crisiatus and other fine-leaved grasses; a fact which 

 proves the futility of the objections that have been 

 raised without due consideration against cock's-foot, 

 as to its being a coarse grass. It wants only to be 

 combined with others in due proportion to the nature 

 of the soil, and judiciously depastured, to render it 

 er[ual if not superior in value to any of the superior 

 or essential pasture grasses. 



The cock's-foot flowers from June till August, ri- 

 pens its seed in July, or, if the herbage of spring is 

 eaten down to a late period, the seed does not ripen 

 until Augmt, or even the beginning of September. 

 The late Mr. Rogers Parker, of Munden, Herts, 

 was the first who collected the seed in any consider- 

 ble bulk for farm practice, which was afterwards ex- 

 tended and brought into more general notice by Mr. 

 Coke, of Norfolk, Eng. 



ME.4D0W FOXTAIL GRASS— ALOPECtJRUS PRATCTSIS. (Fij. 3.) 



Specific character of distinction. — Stem erect, 

 smooth; spike somewhat panicled ; husks or glumes 

 of the calyx acute; hairy and connected at the base; 

 shorter than the awn of the corolla. A native of 

 Britain. 



Dissections. — Fig. 1. Calyx and floret magnified; 

 2. Anthers; 3. Style and germen magnified; 4 and 

 5. Style and germen natural size. 



The produce of this grass, about the middle of 

 April, from a clayey loam free from stagnant mois- 

 ture, is — • 



ibs. per acre. 



Green food ,. -"- 9,52S 



Atferding nutritive matter. .- -- 483 



At the time of flowering— herbage.. 20,4IS 



Dried, or bay, ditto .- - 6,125 



Affording nutritive raatter 478 



At the time the seed is ripe— lierbage 12,931 



Dried, or made into bay - 5,819 



Affording nutritive matter 454 



The. ^^,lmo of tko meadow foxtail grass continue 

 succulent long after the seed is ripe; hence it is thai 

 the culms of the flowering crop contain proportionally 

 more water and less soliii nutritive matter than the 

 grass or herbage at the time the seed is ripe; a wise 

 provision of bountiful Providence in the natural 

 economy of the essential permanent pasture grasses, 

 by which the herbage of this and other early flower- 

 ing grasses increases in nutritive properties until the 

 seecr \^ ,;„g^ j^^^j ^^ y^g y^jg jjjg general summer 



