"^ + 



172 



are few grasses besides for animals to select, the rejection or neglect of a grass, must proce 1 

 more from some radical defect in the plant for the purpose of food, than from caprice or satiet 

 in the animal. The nutritive matter offers no reason for this dislike manifested by^animals fo 

 the grass, as its composition is much the same as that of the Aira Jlexuosa, which is eaten witl 



relish by sheep ; the only difference is in the proportion of sugar : the Aha Jlexuosa havin 

 of this constituent, and less of mucilage, than the Nardiis stricta. But the extreme bard 

 wiry nature of the foliage explains the cause. That property is so strong in this grass, th 



g more 



and 



at, 



ngle 



s of 



in the ordinary way, a scythe is passed amongst it without having the effect of dividing a si 

 leaf; and from this it may easily be conceived how ungrateful it must prove to the mouth 

 cattle. Were it not for this circumstance, and its continuing to send up flowering culms all the 

 summer, it would be the most ornamental grass for forming grass plats, as its colour is of the 

 finest dark green, being superior in this respect to all the perennial grasses. Linnoeus obser 

 that goats and horses eat it; and that sheep are not fond of it. Crows stock it up, for the sake of 

 the larvae of some species of tipulae which they find at the root. 



It flowers in the first and second weeks of July, and the seed is ripe about the first week of 

 August. 



ves, 



Panicum viride. Green Panic-grass. 



Specific character: Spike round, involucrets 



nerved. 

 Obs. 



(Panicum verticillatum) 



resembles this one. Mr. Curtis remarks, that this species, to correspond with its trivial 

 name, should ])e always green, but that its foliage is always red, and its spikes a reddish 

 brown, and that the verticillatum is the contrary; but the spike will always distinguish 

 them. 



* « 



Culms from four to sixteen inches in height, oblique, leafy, having tln-ee joints 



striated at top, rugged ; leaves rather broad, the upper surface rugged. The sheath- 

 scale consists of a row of hairs pointing downwards : in the verticillatum this is wanting- or 

 very minute. Sheaths somewhat compressed, even. Spike ovate, cylindrical, unequal in 

 thickness, green before flowering, afterwards red dish brown and purple on one side. Leers. 



Martyn; E. Bot. 875 ; Flo. Dan. t. 852, Panicum crusgalU; Host. t. 14; Curt. Lond. 

 fasc. 44. 



Native of Britain. Root annual. 



Experiments -At the time the seed is ripe, the produce from a rich siliceous soil, incumbent 

 on clay, is, 



r 



Grass, 8 oz. The produce per acre 

 80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry 

 The produce of the space, ditto 



87120 



lbs. 



5445 



32 



51 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 

 64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 



J 



The produce of the space, ditto r 



Oi 



34848 



2178 

 3267 



1 2 

 - 3 



2041 14 



127 9 14 



This species of Panic-grass is therefore of little value to the Agriculturist, and as it is far 

 from being a common grass, it is not much to be feared as a weed. The seed seems to be a 



