82 



will be found greatly superior. But it is still much inferior to a great number of grasses, in th 

 quantity of herbage, hay, and of nutritive matter it affords ; and in other respects it posses 

 no superior merit, either with respect to early growth, reproductiveness, or late growth T 

 cannot therefore as yet be recommended as a plant for the purposes of the Agriculturist. 

 It flowers in the third week of June, and the seed is ripe about the end of July. 



Phleum prate 



Meadow Cat's-tail Grass. Timothy 



Specific character: Spike cylindrical, very long ; calyx fringed and awned ; straws iiprifflit 



Obs. — Culms from a foot and a half to three feet high, according to the nature of the soil i 

 which it grows ; in moist deep loams it attains the greatest height. Spike regularly cvlin 

 dric, and blunt at the top ; sometimes five or six inches long in young plants, but in old 

 plants it is much shorter. Compare the husks of the florets with those of the foUowinp- 

 variety, (Phleum pratense, var. minus), and likewise with those of the next followinp* 

 species, (Phleum nodosum, bulbous-jointed Cat's-tail grass), and they will be found much 

 shorter and straight in the forks or dagger-like points which terminate them. This is a 

 sure distinction, the length of the spike being a very uncertain character, for the reason 

 just now mentioned. Root fibrous, sometimes inclining to a bulb. 



Native of Britain. Perennial. 



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



dr. 



GrasSj 8 oz. The produce per acre 

 64 dr. of grass afFord of nutritive matter 



At the time of flowering, the produce is, 

 Grass, 60 oz. The produce per acre 

 80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry 

 The produce of the space, ditto 

 The -weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 

 64 dr. of grass aiford of nutritive matter 



I 



The produce of the space, ditto 



(ir. 



oz. 



% 3 



87120 

 3743 7 



lbs. 



5445 

 223 15 7 



653400 



40837 8 



34 

 408 



277695 



17355 15 



23481 9 



2 2 

 - 37 2 



- 25523 7 



1595 3 7 



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



38 



Grass, 60 oz. The produce per acre 



80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry 



The produce of the space, ditto 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 



64 dr. of grass afFord of nutritive matter 



653400 



456 



310365 



The produce of the space, ditto 



The produce of latter-math is, 

 Grass, 14 oz. The produce per acre 

 64 dr. of grass afFord of nutritive matter 

 64 dr. of the culms or straws afFord of nutritive 



5 3 

 86 1 



58703 14 



40837 8 



19397 13 



21439 11 



3668 15 14 



2 



152460 

 4764 6 



9528 12 

 297 12 6 



matter 



7 



The weight of nutritive matter which is lost by taking the crop at the time of flowering, is, 2073 H 



The culms of this grass, at the time the seed is ripe, contain more nutritive matter 

 those of any other species of grass that have been submitted to experiment. In regard to 

 production of early herbage in the spring, it is superior to the Cock's-foot grass; the results of 



than 

 the 



