Aira cwspitosa. Turfy Hair-grass, Hassock-grass. 



Specific character: Panicle diiFuse; husks of the corolla woolly, and awned at the base- 

 straight, short; leaves flat. 



Obs. — Root fibrous- Panicle large, of a fine purple silky appearance. Root leaves formin 

 dense tufts, extremely rough; the edges so sharp, as to cut the finger when passed betw 

 them. Culms from a foot and a half to three feet high. Two, seldom or never three flow 

 in each calyx ; hairy at the base, the lowermost one sitting. E. Bot. 1453; Hos. 2 t is- 

 Flo. Dan. t. 157; Moris, s. 8, t. 7, fig- upper. 



Experiments. — -At the time the seed is ripe, the produce from a strong tenacious clay is 



dr. qr. oz. lbs. 



Grass, 15 oz. The produce per acre ' - 163350 =: 10209 



80 dr. of grass weigh, when dry - - 26 7 



The produce of the space, ditto - . 135 0|5 ' " ^^088 12 = 3318 



The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying 

 64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter - 2 



6891 5 



The produce of the space, ditto - .-72^ " " 510411= 319 Oil 



The above details prove the innutritions nature of this grass; hut even if it had greater 

 nutritive powers, the extreme coarseness of the foliage vrould render it unfit for cultivation. 

 Cattle sometimes crop the ends of the young leaves, but in all the instances that have come 

 under my observation, it appeared to be from supreme necessity. The only point to he consi- 

 dered here, therefore, is how^ to overcome, or destroy it on soils vrhere it has got possession. It 

 delights in moist clayey soils, vs^here the water stagnates; but is found in almost every kind of 

 soil, from the dry sandy heath to the bog. It forms dense tufts in pastures, very disagreeable 

 to the sight, and are termed hassocks, bulls' faces, &c. by Farmers. It is a most difficult 

 plant to extirpate when in considerable quantity. Some persons, to get rid of it, dig up the 

 tufts, and fill up the holes with lime compost; this, no doubt, would answer the end, at least 

 for a few years, if all the roots were destroyed; but this is never the case ; a circle of roots is 

 left, which in one or tw* seasons produce larger hassocks than before; and besides, when the 



J I I 



hassocks are numerous, the expence attending this process is considerable. Others depend on 

 occasional mowings to keep the hassocks under. But this is productive of little good, particu- 

 larly if the mowing of the tufts be deferred till the autumn, which, I believe, is the common 

 practice. I have found no treatment weaken or retard the growth of grass so much, as cutting it 

 closely before and soon after the first tender shoots appear in the spring. On the contrary, when 

 left uncut till the flowers are formed, or the seed becomes ripe, mowing then encourages the 

 growth of the plant, and a great increase and activity of the roots ensue. In this palliative 

 remedy, therefore, the principal efforts should he made to keep the plant close to the roots in the 

 early part of the spring, and till Midsummer. 



But the only effectual and most profitable mode of extirpating this grass, is by first paring 

 and burning the surface of the land, and by making proper drains, to correct, as much as pos- 

 sd3le, the tenacious nature of the soil : in this case, surface-drains are as necessary as those 

 termed hollow. Sand should likewise be applied during the course of crops taken previous to 

 returnmg the land again to permanent pasture, if such should be desirable from its local situation, 

 as that for instance of a park or policy. ' 



Flowers about the third week of iuly, and the seed is ripe towards the end of August. 



