232 CULTIVATION OF GRASSES. 



farming. There are other grasses that spring up sponta- 

 neously, and which produce a good turf without labor, as 

 the blue-grass of the western States, or flat-stalked mead- 

 ow-grass, (Poa compressa^) the smooth-stalked mead- 

 ow-grass, {Poa pratensis^) the red meadow-grass, {Poa 

 aquatica^) and the rough-stalked meadow-grass ; {Poa 

 trivialis ;) also many species of ihe festuc a and agrostis 

 genera, particularly the A. stricta, of which our quack oi 

 witch-grass is a variety. 



Upon this last it may be well to remark, that Dr. Rich 

 ardson first brought this grass into notice, as a superior 

 forage, well adapted to reclaimed bogs and swamps, par- 

 ticularly in mountainous districts, in localities where other 

 grasses will not thrive. The peculiar value of the florin 

 arises from the concrete sap laid up in its numerous joints; 

 and indeed it may be remarked that the straw or stems, 

 of all plants, are rich in nutriment in proportion to the 

 frequency of their joints, w^hich are peculiarly the deposit 

 of nutritious matters. The florin suffers less in weight 

 and nutriment, by frosts, than any other grass ; and of 

 course afibrds good w^inter pasture. It is propagated by 

 stolens or roots ; the ground being previously drained, 

 and ameliorated by one or more crops, for which purpose 

 potatoes or other root crops are preferable. The surface 

 is made smooth and clean, the strings or roots are then 

 strewed over it, and a compost, consisting in part of bog- 

 ashes, lime, and loam, spread over, sufficient to prevent 

 the roots being blown away. The quack, switch, or witch 

 grass, a variety of the florin, is highly nutritious, roots 

 and all, and, if cultivated for forage, might prove a proflt- 

 able crop ; but the objection is, it interferes too much 

 where it is not wanted, and will stay where it is once in- 

 troduced. In pasture grounds, however, it seldom abides 

 after the third year. 



We will endeavor to class the grasses of which the 

 seeds can be procured in this country, according to the 

 best data in our possession, for the uses to which they 

 are best adapted, and to indicate the soils on which they 

 respectively thrive. But before we do this, we will in- 

 troduce Dickson's classification of grasses for diiFerent 



