46 PERMANENT AND TEMPOEARY PASTURES. 



sti'ongly for or against Festuca ovina, and it will afterwards 

 appear that he was referring to Festuca duriuscula. Again, 

 Festuca duriuscula, Festuca rid)ra, and Festuca iLeterophylla are 

 all occasionally mistaken one for anotlier. The true dwarf 

 Festuca ovina [angustifolia) is entirely different from them, not 

 only in growth but in seed ; the seed being small, smooth, and 

 of a ijolden-browm colour, while all the others are larjrer and of 

 darker hue. 



Only a small proportion of the seed sold in England under 

 the name of Festuca ovina is the true variety. From descriptions 

 which are published in this country it is ol)vious that the distin- 

 guishing characteristics of the seed are unknown to some of those 

 who offer it, and as it generally costs about double the price of 

 F. duriuscula, F. rubra, or F. tenuifolia, the great diversity in the 

 quotations for this grass are easily accounted for. 



Sheep's Fescue is the smallest grass cultivated for agricul- 

 tural purposes. It is perfectly distinct from other Fescues, is 

 densely tufted, with abundance of very narrow dark green leaves 

 and slender flower stalks. The culm has the peculiarity of being 

 angular, wdiile all other cultivated Fescues have round stalks. 

 It is said to lose this characteristic in strong soils, but I tliink it 

 probable that Festuca rubra, which is more at home in such soils, 

 elbows its dwarf cousin out of existence, and that this is the 

 reason why no angular Fescue stems are there to be found. The 

 herbage of Festuca ovina is succulent, although so wiry in appear- 

 ance. The plant comes into flower the third week of June, 

 grows from six to twelve inches high, and retains its green colour 

 durincf hot dry weather. It is therefore much used in the makinir 

 of lawns, for which purpose it possesses a special value, although 

 alone it wdll not form a compact turf. 



Where this grass grows freely it is a pretty good indication > 

 of a healthy neighbourhood. 



For hay Sheep's Fescue is practically useless. The growth 

 is too dwarf to allow the machine or scythe to take hold of 

 it, and horned stock show it no favour. It is pre-eminently a 



