26 PEKMANENT AND TEMPORAEY PASTUEES. 



nothing better, and in wet seasons it Avill overpower other 

 grasses until its creeping roots become almost as objectionable 

 as couch. It is also very exhausting to the soil. Although this 

 grass has the peculiarity of rooting from the procumbent nodes 

 of the stem, especially in pastures much trodden by cattle, it is 

 not dependent alone upon the surface soil for support. In 

 suitable situations the roots penetrate four or five feet into the 

 subsoil, but these roots cannot be relied on to maintain the plant 

 during protracted drought. A series of rainy summers always 

 creates a demand for it out of proportion to its value, and wdien 

 hot dry years return it is condemned as comparatively worthless. 

 The Agrostis family is generally deficient in nutritive value, 

 and although this variety is regarded as an exception, and has 

 indeed been highly recommended by several authorities, I do not 

 consider it to be a desirable component of any ordinary prescrip- 

 tion, if only for the reason that a plant of the true variety is not 

 always to be depended on from a sowing of seed. The best 

 method of securing it is to obtain plants from land where it 

 grows indigenously, cut up the long trailing roots, and sow them 

 in prepared ground. 



The result of sowing many hundred samples of Fiorin has 

 convinced me that pure seed is seldom obtainable. A. vulgaris, 

 A. dispar, A. capillans, A. alba, and A. nigra, all produce seed 

 so nearly identical in appearance with the seed of true Agrostis 

 alba stolonifera, that no botanist can detect adulteration, and as 

 the last named variety does not flower freely, the inducements to 

 send a mixed sample to England are almost irresistible to the 

 collectors. Another disadvantage is the great tendency of the 

 plant to become ergoted. 



The botanical description and chemical analysis are given on 

 page 130, facing an illustration. 



Alopecurus pratensis {Meadow Foxtail). — Of the many 

 species of Alopecurus this is the only one Avhich is used for 

 agricultural purposes, and it is justly regarded as one of the 



