The Book of Grasses 



Loki with troubling poor mortals by his evil deeds, that grass was 



called " Loki's Grass," or " Dwarf's Grass," the common proverb 



about the scapegrace being: "Loki is 



sowing his seed in him." Jugglers of 



former days used the awn of Wild Oats 



in foretelling future events, and imposed 



on the credulous by calling it "the leg 



of an enchanted fly" or "the leg of an 



'■'^Hvl ^X,^ I Arabian spider." Surely such pseudo- 



:3^^ -i.\ — 11 sciences as palmistry and astrology would 



// lose their charm when one could place 



unwavering faith in the fortune-telling 



based on the strange movements of this 



enchanted awn. 



^vT^ I ^ y' 11/ ^" English book speaks of the use of 



v> — Urfd . 11/ / the flowering scale as an artificial fly in 

 trout fishing. The twisted awn, uncoil- 

 ing as it is dropped in water, whirls the 

 hairy scale about and causes it to appear 

 like a struggling insect. 



MEADOW OAT-GRASS 



For some long lost reason the unusual 

 name of "Grass of the Andes" was once 

 given to the Meadow Oat-grass which in 

 early spring is often found growing in 

 loose tufts near fields and hedges. A 

 rapid and rigidly erect growth soon lifts 

 the narrow blossoming-heads of this plant 

 above the leaves of later flowering Fes- 

 cues and Bent-grasses, and in bloom a 

 rare combination of colouring is shown 

 in the brownish-green spikelets and 

 yellow anthers. 



As an important meadow grass this 

 species was introduced from Europe 

 many years ago, yet when one of the 

 earlier American writers on agriculture 

 speaks of Meadow Oat-grass as being 

 142 



Meadow Oat-grass 

 Arrhetmtherum elatius 



