188 



E. Bot. 1613. 



Sesleria cmrulea. Blue Moor-grass. 



Cynosurus cceruleus. Linn.; Mart. Flo. Rust. t. 20 j Ja 



Specific character : Spike egg-oblong, leafy; spikets 2-3 

 with 3, seldom 5 awns; awns shorter than the husk. 



0Z»5.— The roots take a slanting direction in the earth ; the leaves grow in dense tufts. 

 Culms from four to twelve inches high, roundish, or compressed, striated, smooth. Leaves 

 linear, somewhat obtuse, keeled, rough on the edges and upper part of the keel, between 

 sea-green and bluish. Spike of a lead colour, or sometimes inclining to a purple. Spikets 

 short, pedicelled, mostly in pairs, oblong oval, compressed, 2-3 flowered, shining. 



Native of Britain. Root perennial. 

 . Experiments. — At the time of flowering, the produce from a light sandy soil incumbent ou 



clay, is. 



Grass, 11 oz. The produce per acre 

 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, 10 oz. The produce per acre 

 64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 

 The produce of the space, ditto 

 The produce of latter-math is. 

 Grass, 5 oz. The produce per acre 

 64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 

 The produce of the space, ditto 



dr. qr. 



oz. 



119790 



lbs. 



7486 14 



3 3 



10 11 



7018 13 



438 10 13 



108900 



6806 4 



3 3^ 



9 1 



^S 



5130 iS 



320 10 13 



54450 



3403 2 ■ 



2 2! > 



3 01) 



2126 15 



132 14 15 



The produce of this grass is greater than its appearance when growing would indicate ; the 



leaves seldom attain to more than four or five inches in len^^th. 



O 



grovv^ 



being cropped, nor does it seem to withstand the effects of frost, which, if it happen to come 

 severe, or early in the spring, prevents it from flowering in that season ; otherwise the compa- 

 ratively great quantity of nutritive matter the foliage affords, (for the culms are very inconside- 

 rable), might rank it with the grasses valuable for permanent pasture. 



If the weight of produce, and the nutritive matter it contains, be compared with those of the 



/Alpine grasses that are included in this series of experiments, the Blue Moor-grass will be found 



greatly superior. It is said to grow wild in mountainous pastures in the North of England, 



and sometimes in marshes, in crevices of the limestone rocks at the foot of Ingleborough, lime 



rocks near Kendal, Malham Cone, and on most of the lime rocks in Craven, Yorkshire*. 



Though, as already observed, it is the best of the Alpine grasses, yet the above details of 

 its properties do not warrant any recommendation of its cultivation to the Farmer. 



first and second weeks of June, 



M 



* 



r 



Withering's Arrangements, ii. p. HO 



