112 



ITALIAN BYE GBASS. 



It is, undoubtedly, a valuable grass, and worthy of 

 attention ; but it is not to be compared, for the pur- 

 poses of New England agri- 

 culture, to Timothy, or to 

 orchard grass. It produces 

 abundance of seed, soon ar- 

 rives at maturity, is relished 

 by stock, likes a variety of 

 soils, all of which it exhausts ; 

 lasts six or seven years, and 

 then dies out. 



ITALIAN RYE GRASS (Lolium 

 Italicum) has been recently in- 

 troduced into this country, and 

 is now undergoing experiment 

 which will assist in determin- 

 ing its value for us. It differs 

 from perennial rye grass in the 

 florets having long, slender 

 awns, and from bearded darnel 

 (Lolium temulentum) in the 

 glumes being shorter than the 

 spikelets. This difference will 

 be manifest on reference to 

 Fig. 86, and Fig. 

 87, which repre- 

 sents a magnified 

 spikelet. It turfs 

 less than the pe- 

 rennial rye grass, 

 its stems are 

 higher, its leaves 



Fig. se. Italian Rye Grass. i g . 87. are larger and of 

 a lighter green ; it gives an early, quick, and successive 

 growth, till late in the fall. 



