GRASSES. 



in most meadows ; and when the soil ! 

 is neither very moist nor very dry, | 

 but in good heart, it is very produc- 

 tive. It also does well on water | 

 meadows. Sheep and horses seem 

 to have a greater relish than oxen for 

 this grass. 



" In the Woburn experiments, it 

 was tried both on a sandy loam and a 

 clayey loam, and the result gave near- 

 ly three fourths of produce greater 

 from a clayey loam than from a .sandy 

 soil, and the grass from the latter is 

 comparatively of less value, in pro- 

 portion as four to six. The straws 

 produced by the sandy soil are de- 

 ficient in number, and in every re- 

 spect less than those from the clayey 

 loam ; which will account for the un- 

 equal quantities of the nutritive mat- 

 ter afforded by them ; but the propor- 

 tional value in which the grass of 

 the latter-math exceeds that of the 

 crop at the time of flowering is as 

 four to three ; a difference which ap- 

 pears extraordinary, when the quan- 

 tity of flower stalks which are in the 

 grass at the time of flowering is con- 

 sidered. Next to the fescue, this 

 grass is in the greatest reputation for 

 laying down mowing grounds ; but it 

 is, unfortunately, subject to tiie rust 

 in some situations. 



" Of the meadow grass there are 

 two species in esteem as hay plants, 

 the smooth-stalked and roughish. 



"The great, or smooth - stalked 

 meadow grass, the spear grass of 

 some parts of the United States (Poa 

 ■praiensis, e), is distinguished by its 

 height, smooth stem, and creeping 

 roots. According to Sole, it is the 

 best of all the grasses : its foliage be- 

 gins to shoot and put on fine verdure 

 early in the spring, but not so soon 

 as some other grasses. Every ani- 

 mal that eats grass is fond of it, while 

 it makes the best hay, and affords the 

 richest pasture. It abounds in the 

 best meadows, and has the valuable 

 property of abiding in the same land, 

 while most other grasses are contiti- 

 ually changing. According to some, 

 it delights in rather a dry than a moist 

 soil and situation, on which account 

 it keeps its verdure better than most 

 338 



others in dry seasons ; but it thrives 

 most luxuriantly in rich meadows. 



" By the Woburn experiments, the 

 proportional value in which the grass 

 of the latter-math exceeds that of the 

 flowering crop is as six to seven. 

 The grass of the seed crop and that 

 of the latter-math arc of equal value. 

 This grass is, therefore, of least val- 

 ue at the time the seed is ripe ; a loss 

 of more than one fourth of the value 

 of the wMiole crop is sustained if it is 

 not cut till that period ; the straws 

 are then dry, and the root leaves in 

 a sickly, decaying state ; those of the 

 latter-math, on the contrary, are lux- 

 uriant and healthy. This species 

 sends forth flower stalks but once in a 

 season, and those being the most val- 

 uable part of the plant for the purpose 

 of hay, it will, from this circumstance, 

 and the superior value of the grass 

 ! of the latter-math, compared to that 

 of the seed crop, appear well adapted 

 for permanent pasture. It was of 

 this grass that the American prize 

 bonnet, in imitation of Leghorn, was 

 made by Miss Woodhouse. This 

 grass belongs to the same genus, and 

 nearly resembles the rich Kentucky 

 blue grass, which seems, indeed, to be 

 only a variety rather less in size. 



" The roughish meadow grass (^Foa 

 trivialis, L., J) delights in moist, rich, 

 and sheltered situations, when it 

 grows two feet high, and is very pro- 

 ductive. It is indigenous. The defi- 

 ciency of hay in the flowering crop, 

 in proportion to that of the seed crop, 

 is very striking. Its superior produce, 

 the highly nutritive powers which 

 the grass seems to possess, and 

 the season in which it arrives at 

 perfection, are merits which distin- 

 guish it as one of the most valuable 

 of those grasses which affect moist, 

 rich soils and sheltered situations ; 

 but on dry, exposed situations it is 

 altogether inconsiderable : it yearly 

 diminishes, and ultimately dies off, 

 not unfrequently in the space of four 

 or five years. 



" The above are six of the best 

 permanent grasses for either dry or 

 watered meadows. The seeds of the 

 meadow fescue, foxtail, and smooth 



