GRASSES. 



Fig. 0. 



Pasture grasses Tor poor uplands. 



sheep's fescue grass (Fisr. 6, a). This 

 grass is peculiarly adapted for hilly 

 sheep pastures. It is a low dwarf 

 grass, but relished by all kinds of cat- 

 tle. According to Sinclair's expe- 

 rience, ' on dry soils that are incapa- 

 ble of producing the larger sorts, this 

 should form the principal crop, or, 

 rather, the whole ; for it is seldom or 

 never, in its natural state, found in- 

 timately mixed with others, but by 

 itself. 



" The Poa alpina (b), Alopccurus al- 

 pinus, and Aira ccBspitosa (c), Brisa 

 media {d) and minima, and Agroslis 

 humilis and vulgaris, are all dwarf 

 mountain grasses, well adapted for 

 hilly parks or lawns." 



The Bermuda grass, which grows 

 so luxuriantly in the West and South, 

 is propagated by roots only, as it does 

 not flower in the latitudes where it 

 is cultivated. 



" On the culture of these grasses 

 it is unnecessary to enlarge, as it 

 must obviously be the same as that 

 of rye grass or any of the others. 



"The chief difficulty is to get the 

 seed in sufficient quantity, for which 

 a good mode is to contract with a 

 seedsman, a year beforehand, for the 

 quantity wanted. With all the pas- 

 ture grasses, except the last class, 

 we should recommend at least half 

 the seed to be that of the perennial 

 rye grass ; and we think it should 

 •3.H 



also form a considerable part of the 

 seeds used in laying down all mead- 

 ows, except those for the aquatic or 

 stoloniferous grasses. These, if they 

 thrive, are sure to choke and de- 

 stroy it. 



" The formation of grassy surfaces, 

 by distributing pieces of turf over 

 them, has long been practised in gar- 

 dening, in levelling down raised or 

 filling up hollow fences, and in other 

 cases of partially altering a grassy sur- 

 face." It is called inoculating grass. 



Nutritiousncss and. yield of Grasses. 

 — Mr. Sinclair, under the directions 

 of the Duke of Bedford, established 

 a long course of experiments to de- 

 termine these points. These re- 

 searches are now of no value in re- 

 spect to the comparative nutritious- 

 ness, but are worthy of attention as 

 giving the comparative yield on cer- 

 tain soils. The nutritiousness of 

 grasses does not depend on the mat- 

 ters extractible by boiling, for fibrin 

 and albumen are insoluble in water. 

 Grasses do, however, differ consid- 

 erably in this respect, as is shown by 

 the ultimate analysis of some authors, 

 which give 11 and ] 5 per cent, of 

 nitrogen in diflTerent specimens. The 

 former will represent seven, and the 

 latter 9| per cent, of azotized or tiesh- 

 making constituents. The table op- 

 posite is mostly from Sinclair ; the 

 greater part of the grasses are either 



