\ 



107 



prafensej; cock's-foot grass, CDaciylus glomerata); and fox-tail grass, (Alopecurus pratensis ) 

 The Cat s-tail grass appears to^have been made trial of before either of the other two, not more 



The seed of 



Walham 



cattle. 



the Cock's-foot grass was introduced about the same time from Virginia, by the Society of Arts 

 &c. but no trial was made of it till several years afterwards : it was then called Orchard-grass*' 

 and it is but lately that the Fox-tail grass has been tried on an extensive scale, the merits of 

 which seem to have been first accurately pointed out by the late excellent Mr. Curtis, in his 

 several works on grasses. 



There has been much difference of opinion respecting the merits and comparative value of 

 Rye-grass. It produces an abundance of seed, which is easily collected, and readily vegetates 

 on most kinds of soil under circumstances of different management ; it soon arrives at perfection 

 and produces in its first years of growth a good supply of early herbage, which is much liked by 

 -"'" These merits have, no doubt, upheld it till the present day in practice, and will pro- 

 bably, for some time to come, continue it a favourite grass with many Farmers. But the latter- 

 math of Rye-grass is very inconsiderable, and the plant impoverishes the soil in a high degree 

 if the culms, which are invariably left untouched by cattle, are not cut before the seed adva^ncel 

 towards perfection. When this is neglected, the field, after Midsummer, exhibits only a brown 

 surface of withered straws. 



Let the produce and nutritive powers of Rye-grass be compared with those of the Cock's- 

 foot grass, and it will be found inferior in the proportion nearly of 5 to 18 ; and also inferior 

 to the Meadow Fox-tail, in the proportion of 5 to 12 ; and Inferior to the Meadow Fescue, in 

 the proportion of 5 to I7. In these comparisons, from which the above proportions arose, ib 

 was necessary to omit the seed crops, for the truth of comparison. 



But as the seed of the Fox-tail is often defective, and the plants of the fescue (Festuca pra- 

 tcnm) do not arrive at perfection so soon as those of Rye-grass ; their superiority, as above, 

 over Rye-grass, is somewhat lessened with respect to their value as alternate husbandry 

 ^ grasses ; for permanent pasture, however, the above proportional values will be found true, as 

 » Rye-g,-ass is but a short-lived plant, seldom continuing more than six years in possession of the loil, 

 but IS continued, by its property of ripening an abundance of seed, which is but little molested 

 by birds, and suffered to fall and vegetate among the root-leaves of the permanent pasture 

 grasses. But Cock's-foot grass perfects an abundance of seed, and the plants arrive at a pro- 

 ductive state as soon as those of Rye-grass ; hence its superiority over Rye-grass, as above, is 

 equally great for permanent pasture, and the alternate husbandry; which is not so precisely 

 the case with the Fox-tail grass, and Meadow Fescue. One peck of Ray-grass, with fourteen 

 of Clover, per acre, is generally considered sufficient for sowing artificial pastures. 



Rye-grass, when not more than three years old, flowers in the second week of June, and 

 ripens the seed in about twenty-five days after: as the plants become older, they flower much 

 later, sometimes so late as the beginning of August. 



J 



* Annual Register for 1765, p. 141, et seq. 



*/ 



H r 



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