34 PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY PASTURES. 



and is supposed to exercise a beneficial influence on sheep in the 

 prevention of foot-rot. Certain it is that slieep show great par- 

 tiahty for tlie leaves of this grass, eating them down so close that 

 tliere wonld be a danger of the plant being exterminated were it 

 not for the fact that the seed-culms soon become hard, and are 

 then rejected by the animals, with the result that seed is matured 

 and shed copiously almost every season. Superficial observers 

 have occasionally mistaken these stalks for bents, and have de- 

 preciated the grass accordingly. Up to the time of forming seed, 

 these stalks do no harm, but the actual production of seed inter- 

 feres greatly with the aftermath. To prevent this injury, and 

 because it is needless to allow seed to be shed every year, it is 

 sometimes worth while to put the mower over the pasture in the 

 early part of July to take off the rising culms. The stalks have 

 been used as fine straw in bonnet-making;. 



At the time the crop is cut this grass is too small to make 

 much difference in the weight of hay, and the fact has been urged 

 as an objection to the sowing of Dogstail. The answer is that it 

 is found in all the most celebrated natural sheep pastures of the 

 country, and that during August there is an extraordinary in- 

 crease in the bulk of it, which clearly marks its value for grazing. 



On lawns and pleasure grounds the fine evergreen herbage 

 is especially prized ; and in deer parks Dogstail should be liberally 

 used, for deer are, if possible, more fond of it than sheep. 



Cynosurus thrives in compact soil, and it will endure con- 

 ditions under wiiich few other grasses can exist. The roots are 

 hard, and as they penetrate deep the plant is naturally adapted 

 for dry soils, and can withstand drought. Still I have seen it grow- 

 ing luxuriantly on tenacious clays, especially near the sea, and it 

 is singular that a grass which does so well on very strong soils 

 should also find a congenial home on thin upland pastures. On 

 dry loams with a chalk subsoil it should be sown freely. In fact, 

 there is hardly any soil in the kingdom for which it is unsuited. 

 Full maturity is not reached until the second or third year. 



At Eothamstead this grass appeared to thrive equally on 



