48] A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



meadow herbage, ranked according to the author's conception of 

 their merit : 1. meadow-grasses, (poa pratensis trivialis}, the 

 staple grass of our best meadows, most luxuriant by watering ; 2. 

 fox-tail grass, (alopecurus pratensis} ; 3. rough cockVfoot grass, 

 (dactylis glomerata) : these two last are the most productive of all 

 our grasses, and particularly on grass-land that cannot often be 

 watered; the last is eagerly eaten by all sorts of cattle when young, 

 and would bear mowing three times in the season, if well manured. 

 The fox-tail is also early and very productive. 4. Annual meadow- 

 grass, (poaannua}, sweet and fine grass, ripening its seed and sow- 

 ing itself three or four times a-year, after which the old root dies : 

 said to have been sown in Suffolk, and thence called Suffolk grass, 

 5. Meadow fescue, (festuca pratensis} ; 6. dog's-tail grass, (cyno- 

 surus cristatus} ; 7. meadow oat grass, (avena pratensis} ; 8. vernal 

 grass, (anthoxanthum odoratum}, fine, sweet, and early, but not very 

 productive. 



The above grasses are all certainly well worthy of trial in cul- 

 tivation. The following are also common in grass-lands. 9. Ray- 

 grass, (lolium perenne} ; the seed common at market, and the 

 only grass that has been much cultivated, although seemingly in- 

 ferior to most of the above-named. 10. Oat grass, (bromus mollis} ; 

 this has also been cultivated, is hardy and productive, but somewhat 

 coarse; it will flourish on poor thin soils. 11. Yellow oat grass, 

 (avena flavescens] ; common in good grass land, and is good herbage. 

 12. Timothy grass, (phleum pratense} ; this is also sometimes cul- 

 tivated, and is productive and durable in the ground, but somewhat 

 coarse. The other most common grasses, are bent-grasses of dif- 

 ferent sorts, (agrostis alba, &c.) ; tall oat grass, (avena elatior} ; a 

 bad couch grass in arable, but a productive meadow-grass ; dog's 

 couch or squ itch-grass, (triticum repens} ; hair grass, (aira c&spi- 

 tosa} ; quake grass, (briza media} ; brome grasses, (bromus arvensis, 

 &c.) ; meadow barley grass, (hordeum pratense} ; soft grass, (holcus 

 mollis} ; and many others. 



The water meadow grass, (poa aquatica}, and reed canary grass, 

 (phalaris arundinacea} , grow very tall, six feet and upwards, are 

 extremely productive, and very common in streams and hedges : 

 cattle eat these grasses, and they are said to be cultivated in the 

 Isle of Ely. They mow it twice a-year for their cattle in Scandia : 

 (Linnteus}. A variety of the latter, with striped leaves, is cultivated 

 in our gardens, and called ladies' traces. The flote grass, (fesluca 

 fluitans}, generally growing in water, is a sweet good herbage, and 



