174 



favourite food of birds, particularly of the smaller species ; unless care is taken before the seed 

 is perfected and collected, little will be saved from these depredators. The seeds vegetate better 

 when sown in June, or as soon as they are ripe In the autumn, than in any other season. It is 

 natural to sandy soils, but maintains itself likewise on damp clayey soils without any culture, 

 except that of preventing it from being overpowered by other plants. The annual grasses that 

 afford but small quantities of nutritive matter, and an inferior weight of herbage, impoverish the 

 soil very little, as the Panicum viride, Pankum sanguinak, Festuca myurus, Bromus mollis, &c. 

 for this reason they are raised naturally on the same spot for a series of years, without much 

 diminution in the yearly produce, There are three spots of ground in the Grass-garden at 

 Woburn, of which the three first mentioned species have kept possession in this manner for five 

 years : no manure had been applied, the ground was merely pointed over in the spring, and 

 kept free of weeds during the season ; the seed which was naturally shed by the plants was suf- 

 ficient. But with respect to the annual grasses that afforded a much greater proportion of nu- 

 tritive matter, tlie case proved very difFerent, as the Bromus mi^ensis, Phalaris canariensis, Lolkm 



^ 



temulentum, and others, hardly afforded half the usual produce the second year of cultiva- 

 tion, on the same spot, though manure was applied. 



It flowers in the second and third weeks of July, when sown in the preceding autumn, and 

 the seed is ripe about the middle of August ; hut it continues to flow^er till the cold prevents it. 



Panicum smiguinale. Slender-spiked 



Syntherisma vulgare, (Schrader.) 



Specific c 



av^^ns ; 



Obs.—D 



sheaths of the leaves dotted. 

 . Witherinir observes, that t 



the sheaths of the leaves, do not appear on the figure of the Flora Lond. ; but the former is 

 mentioned, and the latter expressed in the figure of Leers; so that a doubt still remains, 



Jlifi 



In the Flora Germanica these two 



species are referred to the genus syntherisma, under the following characters: " Leaves and 

 sheaths somewhat hairy, florets oblong, somewhat pubescent on the margin. P. sangid- 

 nale, E. Bot." — " Leaves and sheaths smooth, florets ovate. Syntherisma glahrum!' — P«' 

 cum sanguinale of Leers, above referred to; and the Digitaria jiliformis, in Koel. Gram. 

 These appear to be excellent specific distinctions. 



Native of Britain. Root annual. 



Experiments. — At the time of flowering, the produce from a sandy soil, is. 



dr. 



1 



Grass, 10 oz. The produce per acre 

 80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry 

 The produce of the space, ditto 



r 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 

 64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 



qr. 



oz. 



108900 



lbs. 



6806 4 



30 

 60 



40837 8 



1 0^ 



The 



- 2 2 



1014 4 



2552 5 8 



4253 14 8 



119 10 4 



TS 



