THE SELECTION OF GRASSES AND CLOVERS. 41 



quently infertile.' And Curtis, at the beginning of the century, 

 stated that ' the seeds of this plant when cultivated are not 

 fertile, hence it can only be introduced by parting its roots and 

 planting them out.' 



Tlie liability of this grass to the attack of ergot is in itself 

 a very serious drawback, and should not be without weight in 

 deciding as to its introduction into a meadow. A correspondent 

 in the Agricultural Gazette of August 30, 1886, says: — 'Tall 

 Meadow Fescue seems to be particularly liable to attack of ergot. 

 A large bed of this grass in tlie Botanical Garden here (Dubhn) 

 was perfectly infested with tliat abnormal growth, while the 

 neighbouring^ o-rasses showed none.' And Sinclair found it so 



O CD o 



generally ergoted that he actually named the grass Fe^tuca 

 elatior sterilis. Evidently, therefore, we are dependent upon 

 other countries to produce seed of this species. As a matter of 

 fact, althoucfh elatior when indif2:enous to this country is often 

 sterile, on the Continent it is fertile, and seed is saved and ex- 

 ported to England annually. As explained at page 37, it is 

 there known, not as elatior^ but as Fe.stmxi arundinacea. And 

 Mr. Carruthers distinctly states that the ' Festuca elatior of 

 English authors is the same plant as Festuca arundinacea of the 

 Germans.' 



I need hardly say that, principally in consequence of the 

 confusion caused by the fact that the German collectors and 

 botanists know pratends as elatior^ large quantities of seed are 

 sold in England under the name of elatior which are simply 

 pratensi'i Hudsoni. The true elatior {arundinacea) seed is dis- 

 tinguishable by its larger size and the more pointed shape of 

 each grain. It has also a very perceptible roughness on the 

 back of each seed, the three nerves extending the whole lenoth 

 of the back of the grain being armed with minute spines which 

 are easily seen under an ordinary microscope, and these spines 

 are entirely absent in the smaller seed of tlie true praten{iif<. 

 Hudt^oni. 



Sinclair named the arundinacea variety Festuca elatior fertili,-<. 



