18 PRACTICAL NOTES ON GRASSES AND GRASS GROWING. 
Brack Grass (ALOPECURUS AGRESTIS). 
This would be more troublesome even than speargrass 
excepting that it only flourishes on moist and wet bottomed 
lands. It flowers and seeds very rapidly, having a head 
or spike similar to timothy and foxtail, only the head of 
the black grass is longer and slimmer, and its seeds assimilate 
the seeds of the ryegrasses more than the other two we have 
named. 
It is worthy of remark that this grass is one of the most 
rapid grasses in arriving at maturity, and it is an alopecurus 
in company with meadow foxtail, which is one of our most 
valuable pasture grasses, being both early and hardy, and were 
it not for the fact that it takes three years in arriving at 
maturity, it would find greater favour and be more constantly 
sown. 
Black grass has the same peculiarity as speargrass in propa- 
gating very rapidly from its roots, so much so, that many 
assert that it in time turns to speargrass, but a careful observa- 
tion will readily refute this. Black grass does not form so 
compact a mass as speargrass, and it is therefore more easily 
killed, but at the same time it is the more difficult to extermi- 
nate of the two. 
Black grass seeds more freely and rapidly than speargrass, 
whilst its seed lays dormant in the land, springing up with a 
persistency which becomes wearisome to the most patient; 
and on lands congenial to it it will take years before it can be 
got under. 
Runninc Grass (AGRESTIS VULGARIS). 
This grass apparently embodies the bad qualities of both 
speargrass and black grass; but in place of root propagation 
