LIGHT SEEDS. 139 
sample of this may be seen in railway cuttings ; it is the first 
grass to appear, collecting by its fronds from the air, and by its. 
fibrous roots from the ground, material which forms humus, 
thus manufacturing for itself a surface soil. 
Poa annua seems more busy in reproducing itself than in 
throwing out herbage; it is a very small plant, but it sheds its. 
seeds rapidly, and afterwards dies down, thus are its seeds. 
scattered by the breezes, so that it is wonderfully prolific ; but 
it is soon crowded out by other plants which grow more 
vigorously in the summer, and die down in the autumn, when 
Poa annua once more asserts itself. Lord Clifton, a well- 
known and reliable authority on grass growing, mentions in 
some most interesting comments upon this grass :—If 
Stillingfleet’ really found a park in Suffolk composed of Pow 
annua, there must have been a constant succession of growth.” 
Upon bare land Foa annua will appear before any other 
grass, and soon covers the ground ; but when stronger vegeta- 
tion springs up it is smothered. It nevertheless lies dormant 
in the land, and fills up any vacancy that may occur. It is 
impervious to cold, and will continue growing so long as it 
obtains enough moisture; drought it cannot stand. In 
summer it arrives at maturity, and lives a shorter life than 
it does in the winter. We have seen it flowering and shedding 
its seeds in December, and, in spite of the frost, it has been in 
full bloom again in February. It is beneficial to agriculture in 
a small measure, and there is no occasion to sow the seed, 
because it will come of its own accord. 
Were it not for the above drawbacks it would be worth 
cultivating, as it is very nutritious, and animals seem fond of 
it; but the crop is so small that its value is doubtful. 
Woop Meapow Grass (Poa NeMoRALIS, LINN.). 
This grass, in contradistinction to the last mentioned, will 
only thrive on dry soil. It comes early, will stand cold and 
