66 THE GRASSES— FESCUE GRASS. 



Squirrel-Tailed Fescue Grass. 



{Festuca Iromoides, Linn. Festuca sciuroides, Koch.) 



The seed is known in the trade as Hairgrass, being 

 long and slender, with a long hair-like awn. The plant 

 is of no agricultural value, being rigid, dry, and innutri- 

 tious. It is mentioned here in detail only because its 

 seed is so often found as an impurity in Italian and 

 Perennial Eyegrass. 



Spiked Fescue Grass. 



(Festuca loliacea.) 



Mr. Caeeuthees, F.RS., says it is a hybrid between 

 Meadow Fescue and Eyegrass, is occasionally met with, 

 but nowhere has been able to keep its place as a per- 

 manent variety. Like other hybrids, it does not perfect 

 its seeds, the flowers being generally abortive. It has 

 no special merits. 



The seed generally offered for it is Glyceria fluitans, 

 or Manna grass. 



Professor BucKMAN, author of " ISTatural History of 

 British Meadow and Pasture Grasses," holds it is a 

 variety of Meadow Fescue, and says — " It is not only 

 found, but is constant, and a most valuable grass for 

 hay or pasture in meadows by the side of rivers — 

 especially where subject to floods." 



Mr. Bakee, of Eoyal Herbarium, Kew, reports that 

 F. loliacea is a mere variety of F. pratensis. A friend 

 of his experimented with it on garden soil, and it simply 

 grew into pratensis. 



Mr. M. J. Sutton (from whose book the above two 



