136 BRITISH GRASSES. 



Devon, Lincolnshire, and Aylesbury. Its excelling va- 

 lue is its aftermath, which is very abundant and highly 

 nutritious. Professor Martyn tells us that it possesses 

 the three great requisites of quality, quantity, and earli- 

 ness, in a degree superior fo any other grass, and is 

 therefore highly deserving of cultivation in lands that 

 are proper for it. Clayey loam, we are informed by 

 Mr. Sinclair, is best suited for it ; it will flourish in a 

 sandy soil, but is more productive in a loamy one. It 

 thrives well under irrigation. Sheep are very fond of it, 

 as are also horses and goats ; but cows and swine do not 

 prefer it. It is easy to collect the seed ; it does not quit 

 the chaff, and the panicles are very prolific. It is the 

 lightest of all grass seeds, and was one of the first that 

 agriculturists began to collect, a prize for doing so hav- 

 ing been offered by the London Society for the Encou- 

 ragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. The 

 first year of its life it produces little ; the second year 

 there is an increase, but the plants do not come to 

 perfection till the third or fourth year, and on this ac- 

 count it should be cultivated in all permanent pastures. 

 The breadth of its leaves and their light colour make it 

 an undesirable grass for lawns, where uniformity of tint 

 is a desideratum, and fineness of foliage an indispensable 

 requirement. 



This grass is easy to distinguish from others of the 

 same family. It is taller than any other, except the 

 Slender Foxtail, when growing amongst wheat, and its 

 panicle is thicker. But all comparisons of size are un- 

 reliable, on account of the variations of soil, climate, 

 etc. ; so we must recur to more unfailing marks of dis- 

 tinction. The uppermost sheath being twice as long as 

 its leaf, and the awn projecting from the floret, distin- 



