188 



BRITISH GRASSES. 



upper floret, long, slender, extending far beyond the outer 

 glumes, rough its whole length ; palea nearly equal in length 

 to the flowering glume, membranaceous, blunt at the sum- 

 mit, fringed on the edges ; the upper floret is rather smaller 

 than the lower, and the awn, though bent when dry, is 

 never curved as in the last species. 



This species resembles the last, but is distinguished 

 by its smaller panicle, more pointed spikelets, paler hue, 

 and more slender habit to the general observer. The 

 most distinctive feature is the awn, which in this species 



is rough for its whole length, 

 and only bent when dry, 

 while that of Holcus lanatus 

 is only rough on the upper 

 half, and is curved like a 

 fish-hook when the seed is 

 ripe. 



The Soft Holcus or Creep- 

 ing Soft-grass is common in 

 such situations as are se- 

 lected by the Meadow Soft- 

 grass, but it is seldom so 

 abundant. It prefers light 

 soils and open pastures, and 

 flowers a week or two earlier than the sister species. It 

 possesses more nutritive qualities than Holcus lanatus, 

 but these are more than overbalanced by its troublesome 

 propensity of striking its roots deep into the soil and 

 extending them to a great distance, so as to impoverish 

 the land extensively ; on this account farmers regard it 

 as a vexatious weed ; its roots extend five feet deep some- 

 times ; pigs are fond of them, for they are said to have 

 the flavour of new meal, and to be very nourishing. On 



