40 



. , , . ,, V- „ «f tl. ^ T^rnduce of rich past are land ; but more particularly if 



It has to a place in the composition ot the proauce ^^ r , i , •>' " 



the land be elevated and without good shelter, this grass becomes more valuable as it thrives 

 better under such circumstances than most other grasses, and sheep eat it as readily as they do. 

 most others. The seed is very small and light ; but it vegetates freely if sown m the autumn, or 



1 . 1 • T u . +1.0 <PP(ls of this crrass in almost every month of tli^ 



not too early m the spring. I have sown the seeas ui ti ^ j ui tne 



in 1 • ^ n ' ^ ^ +Ti^ Qtate of the weather, the third week in Mav 



year, and after making due allowance tor the state ui ludy, 



^nd the first week of September, were evidently the best. 



It flowers in the first, and often in the second week of July, and ripens the seed in the be- 



ginning of August. 



/ 



Holcus lanatus. Woolly Soft-grass. 



Specific character : Root fibrous; panicle equally diffused ; bisexual floret inferior, awnless; 

 unisexual floret awned, the awn recurved and inclosed by the calyx. 



0^5.— Practical Farmers often mistake this grass for the creeping-rooted soft-grass ; I bave 

 therefore given a specimen of the latter in the next following page, for the convenience of 

 comparison, otherwise it belongs to another division of the subject, that is, grasses natural 

 to sandy soils. The male, or unisexual floret, contains one pistle ; the germen, or rudi- 

 ment of the future seed, is similar to that of the fertile or bisexual floret, but much smaller; 



it is always abortive. 

 Native of Britain. Perennial. E. Bot. 1169; Host, t. 2; Curt. Lend. fasc. 38; Witlier. 



r 



L 



Arr. ; Flo. Germ. i. p. 251. 

 Experimeiits, — About the middle of April, the produce from a clayey loam, is, 



Grass, 7 oz. The produce per acre 

 64 dr. of grass afFord of nutritive matter 



At the time of flowering, the produce is. 

 Grass, 28 oz. The produce per acre 

 64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 

 The produce of the space, ditto 

 80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry 



dr. qr. 



oz. 



11)5. 



3 1 per acre 



76230 

 2679 15 



4764 6 

 167 7 15 



304920 



4 



28 

 26 



19057 8 



19057 8 



1191 1 8 



- 145 2f 



The produce of the space, ditto 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 



At the time the seed is ripe, the produce is. 

 Grass, 28 oz. The produce per acre 

 80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry 

 The produce of the space, ditto 



99099 



6193 11 



12863 \S 



16 



89 2f 



304920 



60984 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 

 64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 



2 3 



19 



13102 



The produce of the space, ditto * 



The weight of nutritive matter which is lost by leaving the crop till the seed be ripe, exceeding 

 one^third part of its value, is - - _ 



19057 8 



3811 8 



15246 



818 14 



372 3 8 



The proportional value, in which the first grass of the spring is inferior to that at the time 

 of flowering, is as 16 to 9 j and the grass of the flowering crop, exceeds that of the seed crop 

 in the proportion of 16 to 11. 



