WEED GRASSES. 35 



shoots as often as they appear, so as to finally exhaust the 

 plant food stored in the knots. In the circumstances in 

 which it occurs scattered among other grasses Avena bulbosa 

 seems quite palatable to sheep, for it never flowers in a 

 pasture, while in a cereal crop its feathery heads may be 

 seen as high as the those of wheat or oats. 



(7) Paspalum dilatatum, usually called by its botanical 

 name, is a most decided twitch, and in the northern-most 

 parts of New Zealand is considered practically ineradicable. 

 It is described on page 24. 



Beside the twitches, the following eleven grasses are 

 commonly found in pastures and are usually regarded as 

 weeds owing to their low palatabiUty : — 



(1) Yorkshire Fog [Holms lanatus). — Both blade and 

 sheath are clothed with velvety hairs, and distinct red and 

 white veins are to be seen at the bottom of the sheath. The 

 flower head is pinkish and feathery. This grass is one of 

 the best known, as it occurs in practically all situations. 

 It is, however, chiefly found in moist locaUties, and in wet 

 land or in damp cHmates it often becomes the dominant 

 grass in old pastures. Its seed is a common impurity in 

 that of Cocksfoot, and may occur with the husks on, when 

 it appears as a rather broad flat ' ' seed, ' ' or with the husks 

 threshed off, when it isa gooddealsmaUer,Ught grey and shiny. 



Yorkshire Fog is generally considered highly unpalatable 

 and it is certain that it is avoided where Rye Grass, Timothy, 

 or Cocksfoot are available. StiU Fog is eaten to a certain 

 extent, and it probably provides more fodder than it is 

 usually credited with. 



(2) Sweet Vernal Grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum). — 

 A rather low-growing grass with a fairly close seed head 

 growing about a foot high. The leaves and sheath are 

 somewhat hairy, and there is a noticeable ring of hairs 



