142 



Experiments.— At the time of flowering, the produce from a clayey loam, is. 



dr. qr. 



Grass, 18 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 ( 



64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 



The produce of the space, ditto 



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

 Grass, 12 oz. The produce per acre 

 80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry 

 The produce of the space, ditto 



oz. ' lbs. 



196020 = 12251 4 



28 

 100 3 



68607 



4287 15 



7963 5 



"-^ 



3 OtV 



13 2 



9188 7 



574 4 7 



130680 



816*7 8 



28 

 67 0^ 



45738 



2858 10 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 

 64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter - 2 

 The produce of the space, ditto - - 6 



5308 14 



4083 12 



255 3 12 



The produce of this annual, at the time the seed is ripe, contains more nutritive matter than 

 at the time of flowering: this is a contrary result to all others of the annual grasses, but it is, I 

 believe, chiefly ovs^ing to apart of the seed having been left on the spikes, w^hile in all other 

 instances, it was separated from the grass previous to its being submitted to experiment. 



The above details prove this to be one of the most inferior grasses, with respect to nutritive 



powers 



The long awns with which it is armed, must make it dangerous to the mouths of 



horses when it enters into the composition of their hay. Fortunately, it is uncommon in pas- 

 tures, but chiefly confined to road-sides, and other beaten or barren places, I never could ob- 

 serve this grass eaten by cattle of any description, not even by the half-starved animals which 

 feed by road-sides, where this is often the most prevalent grass. The nutritive matter consists 

 chiefly of mucilage and insoluble extractive matter: 



it afforded me no sugar. However, 



Witherin 



gramlla, and the barley-fly, Muscafrit, Professor Martyn observes, that it is an old notion, 

 that this grass is Barley degenerated; and that Haller seriously combats this error, but it is surely 

 too common a one to merit contradiction. 



It flowers about the first week of July, and the seed is ripe about the end of the same month. 



rass. 



With 



Agrostis vulgaris. Common Bent, Fine Bent- 



Agrostis arenaria, Agrostis capillaris, Hudson. Agrostis vi 

 Specific character: Panicle spreading, branches bare at t1i 



inner valve smooth, outer serulated upwards; blossom inner valve but half the size of 

 the outer, deciduous. Wither. Arr. 132. 



Ofe.-=This species has four varieties, according to Dr. Sclirader. The first is distinguished 



hy being awned, (see our Agrostis canina, and Trichodium canimmj. The second by awn- 



less and diseased flowers, (see Agrostis pumila, of Willd. Spec Plant i. p. 371). The 



third by its diseased awned flowers; the awn in this, is jointed and bent' before it reaches 



the apex of the blossom valve. The fourth, by having the flowers viviparous. Agrostis 

 sylvatica. 



