278 



HALF-HOURS IN THK GREEN LANES 



useful plants. The roots, however, have a sweet 

 taste, not much unlike liquorice. The leaves contain 

 a good deal of silica, so that cattle will only eat 

 this grass when it is young. The Crested Dog's-tail 

 GrasB (Gynosurus cristatus) is also a very pretty 



Fig. 211. 



Meadow Barley (Ifordeum pratense). 



gi ass, which flowers in July and August, and is thea 

 very abundant in all our meadows and pastures. 

 The leaves of this grass are of the shortest growth 

 of any of the pastu]e grasses. They grow close 

 together, and are very palatable to cattie, par- 



