112 



ITALIAN EYE GRASS. 



, It is, undoubtedly, a valuable grass^ and worthy of 

 attention ; but it is not to be compared, for the pur- 

 poses of New England agri- 

 culture, to Timothy, or to 

 orchard grass. It produces 

 abundance of seed, soon ar- 

 rives at "maturity, is relished 

 by stock, likes a variety of 

 soils, all of which it exhausts ; 

 lasts six or seven years, and 

 then dies out. 



Italian Rye Grass (Lolium 

 Italicum) has been recently in- 

 troduced into this country, and 

 is now undergoing experiment 

 which will assist in determin- 

 ing its value for us. It differs 

 from perennial rye grass in the 

 florets having long, slender 

 awns, and from bearded darnel 

 {Lolium temulentum) in the 

 glumes being shorter than the 

 spikelets. This difference will 

 be manifest on reference to 

 Fig. 86, and Fig. 

 87, which repre- 

 sents a magnified 

 spikelet. It turfs 

 less than the pe- 

 rennial rye grass, 

 its stems are 

 higher, its leaves 

 Fig. 86. itaUan Eye Grass. Kg. 87. are larger and of 



a lighter, green ; it gives an early, quick, and successive 

 growth, tilllate in the fall. 



