6 PASTURE PLANTS AND PASTURES OF N.Z. 



each knot. All grasses with rhizomes are called "Twitches." 

 A stolon is an overground creeping stem rooting where the 

 knots touch the ground. A common example is found in 

 the Strawberry, and among grasses, stolons are often found 

 in Creeping Bent. A spikelet is one of the small clusters 

 in which the flowers of grasses are arranged. They are 

 familiar objects in the Rye grasses, being the structures on 

 which children count " Tinker, Tailor, etc." In most grasses 

 they are smaller and more crowded together than in the 

 Rye grasses. An awn is a hair-like projection from part of 

 the spikelet. Awns are well seen in Italian Rye. 



The habits of growth of grasses in New Zealand are often 

 very different from their habits in England, and English 

 books are therefore often misleading in estimating the value 

 of a grass for local conditions. 



The following grasses are those commonly or occasionally 

 sown in New Zealand pastures. 



Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata). — A strong-growing, 

 broad-leaved, perfectly hairless grass, with a bluish tinge on 

 the leaves. The sheath is strongly compressed so as to have 

 almost cutting edges. Ligule fairly developed and some- 

 what pointed. Upper surface of the blade practically 

 ribless but with a rather deep groove. Blade gradually 

 tapering to the tip. 



This is one of the most valuable grasses used in New 

 Zealand. It is quite permanent, and produces a very large 

 amount of palatable fodder. It can be profitably sown on 

 every class of ground. The only real disadvantage it suffers 

 from is that it dies down almost entirely in winter, at any rate 

 in the South, and starts into growth late in spring. It has, 

 besides this, several fancied disadvantages, which are almost 

 universally held to limit its usefulness. These are that it 

 always grows in tufts, leaving bare ground between the tufts, 

 and that it takes about three years to establish itself, so 



