214 BRITISH GRASSES. 



Lolium perenne, var. Italicum, is one of the most 

 sought after for cultivation. The Italian Rye-grass is 

 biennial, has roughish stems from two to five feet in 

 height ; leaves lanceolate, flat, rough on the inner sur- 

 face and smooth behind; a spike from five to eight 

 inches long, bearing from fourteen to twenty spikelets - 

 the spikelets have only one outer glume, and several 

 florets, with rough awns, rising from a little below the 

 summit of the flowering glume. 



This variety is a native of Italy, and was first intro- 

 duced into England by Mr. Lawson of Edinburgh, who 

 continues to import a quantity of seed annually. It is 

 a very valuable grass, arriving very quickly at maturity, 

 and producing a great quantity of foliage and numerous 

 tall stems, and being eaten with avidity by cattle. If 

 cut before flowering it becomes almost perennial, at any 

 rate it lasts longer than two years. It is the best of all 

 grasses for a single year's crop, and is good for grazing 

 if the land be in a state of good fertility. 



Mr. Lawson says, in writing of this grass, " An ex- 

 perience of ten years since our first introduction of the 

 Italian Rye-grass into Britain, enables us now to give 

 a more decided description of its habits than formerly. 

 In respect to duration it may be called sub-perennial, 

 beyond which title even the most permanent varieties 

 have no claim. In most instances two seasons of Italian 

 Rye-grass are all that can, with any degree of certainty, 

 be depended upon, and in very wet, cold, spongy soils it 

 will often exhibit a thin stock the second season. In- 

 stances have, however, occurred, in which as many as 

 five or even six successive years' produce have been 

 reaped from the same field ; but this has arisen more 

 from the ground having been re-sown in course of reap- 



