S40 



COMMON GRASSES OF THE FARM 



It is met with among corn crops, but is rarer than the wild oat. 

 Two species of Avena, namely, Narrow-leaved Oat-Grass 

 {Avena pratensis L.) and Downy Oat-G-rass {Avena pubescens 

 Huds.), are perennial grasses growing from i to 2 feet high, and 

 common in dry pastures, the former especially on calcareous 

 soils. Neither of them, however, is of any agricultural value, 

 their produce being small and generally passed over by stock. 

 Genus Cynosurus. 

 Panicles spike-like, dense, one-sided : spikelets of two forms, 

 one completely sterile consisting of several 

 bristle-like empty glumes arranged alter- 

 nately on opposite sides of a short rachilla, 

 the other fertile with three to five flowers ; 

 flowering glumes of the latter leathery, 

 three-nerved, with a stiff rigid point. 



Crested Dogstail {Cynosurus cristatus 

 L.). — A perennial grass abundant in mea- 

 dows and pastures throughout the country, 

 perhaps especially so on the drier upland 

 sheep walks. We have, however, seen it in a 

 few damp meadows in exceptional quantity. 

 After flowering the stems become tough 

 and wiry : it is therefore not very well 

 adapted for mowing, but is one of the best 

 pasture grasses. The short and abundant 

 leaves, when fresh and young, are very 

 nutritious and greedily eaten by all kinds 

 of stock. 



The formation of the objectionable and 

 Fic. 179.— /(, Spike -like Unsightly wiry flowering stems can be 



panicle of Crested Dogstail 'jji^.T' 



(natural size). avoided Dy judicious early depasturing of 



B^ Base of leaf-blade and ^ , . . , . , , . 



liguie. helds m which the grass is abundant. 



C, (i) Sterile spikelet ; (2) jt • 1 1 j 1 i_ • . 



fertile spikelet (both twice it IS not Very early, and only begms to 

 natura size). ^j^^ j^.^ £^jj yield two Or three years after 



