536 CO.MMON GRASSES OF THE FARM 



Almost all hairy grasses are refused by stock, and both these 

 species are no exceptions to the rule. They produce a 

 large amount of ' seed ' and often rapidly overrun leys. 

 In Holland and the eastern counties of England on 

 damp, somewhat marshy land Yorkshire fog is less 

 hairy than on drier soils, and is eaten freely by stock : 

 under these conditions the grass is more palatable, and 

 animals thrive upon it 



Genus Arrhenatherum. 

 Panicle spreading : spikelets two-fiower- 

 ed, the lower flower male, with a flowering 

 glume possessing a strong bent, twisted 

 basal awn ; the upper flower is bisexual, with 

 a short dorsal awn on its flowering glume. 



Tall Oat -Grass: French Bye -Grass 

 {Arrhenatherum avenaceum Beauv. : some- 

 times named ^w«a elaiiorY,.). — A fibrous- 

 rooted perennial grass, growing usually 

 about 3 feet high, and especially common 

 in hedges upon light soils. Its spikelets par- 

 tially resemble those of a small common oat. 



Though not always placed in the first class of 

 fodder grasses, it yields a large bulk of fairly nutritive 

 produce on marly soils, and begins to grow early in 

 spring. It stands cutting well, and in some districts 

 will give two good crops of hay in one season. 



The plant has a bitter taste, and when grown alone 

 stock seem to dislike it at first 



It rapidly attains maturity, often producing a fair 

 crop the same season as it is sown, but does not last 

 more than three or four years. 



It is sometimes utilised instead of Italian rye-grass 



in leys of longer duration than one year. 



* A 'bulbous-rooted' variety, in which the 



ofTalioM^rass^nei' lower nodes are greatly thickened, is common 



panded (natural size), in somc localities, and is sometimes known as 



nafuraUize):'" "*'" ' Ouion COUCh.' 



