The Book of Grasses 



^^^ 



t^\ 



I 



■^^^ 



Loki with troubHng poor mortals by his evil deeds, that grass was 

 called " Loki's Grass," or " Dwarf's Grass," the common proverb 



about the scapegrace being: "Loki is 

 sowing his seed in him." Jugglers of 

 former days used the awn of Wild Oats 

 in foretelling future events, and imposed 

 on the credulous by calling it "the leg 

 of an enchanted fly" or "the leg of an 

 Arabian spider." Surely such pseudo- 

 sciences as palmistry and astrology would 

 lose their charm when one could place 

 unwavering faith in the fortune-telling 

 based on the strange movements of this 

 enchanted awn. 



"nT^Nv I jf^ y" 11/ ^" English book speaks of the use of 



v>^ .(1/ f/f 11/ I the flowering scale as an artificial fly in 



trout fishing. The twisted awn, uncoil- 

 ing as it is dropped in water, whirls the 

 hairy scale about and causes it to appear 

 like a struggling insect. 



MEADOW OAT-GRASS 



For some long lost reason the unusual 

 name of "Grass of the Andes" was once 

 given to the Meadow Oat-grass which in 

 early spring is often found growing in 

 loose tufts near fields and hedges. A 

 rapid and rigidly erect growth soon lifts 

 the narrow blossoming-heads of this plant 

 above the leaves of later flowering Fes- 

 cues and Bent-grasses, and in bloom a 

 rare combination of colouring is shown 

 in the brownish-green spikelets and 

 yellow anthers. 



As an important meadow grass this 

 species was introduced from Europe 

 many years ago, yet when one of the 

 earlier American writers on agriculture 

 speaks of Meadow Oat-grass as being 

 142 



Meadow Oat-grass 

 Arrhenaiiurum elatius 



