MANY-FLOWERED DARNEL — CRAB GRASS. 101 



Mr. Gould thinks the valuable qualities of this grass 

 may' be summed up as follows : 



" Its habit of coming early to maturity. 



" Its rapid reproduction after cutting. 



" Its wonderful adaptation to all domesticanimals, which 

 is shown by the extreme partiality they manifest for it, 

 either alone or when mixed with other glasses"; whether 

 when used as gieen food for soiling, as hay, or as pasturage, 

 in which latter state its stems are never allowed to ripen 

 and wither like other grasses. 



" Its beneficial influence on the dairy, not only augment- 

 ing the flow of milk, but improving the flavor of the cheese 

 and butter. 



" Its uncommon hardiness and capacity to withstand the 

 vicissitudes of both wetness and dryness." 



MA1TY FLOWERED DARNEL— {Lolium Multifiora). 



This is almost identical in appearance with the preceding, 

 and with very much the same qualities, surpasses all other 

 in showiness of appearance. It has been cultivated long in 

 France, and about forty years ago it was carried to Eng- 

 land, and from thence to this country. It resembles, and 

 is often, taken 1 for another species of Lolium, 'or tares of 

 Scripture, that is an exceedingly troublesome weed, and has 

 poisonous seeds, hence the parable of separating tares from 

 wheat had a forcible application, and was readily compre- 

 hended by the hearers. 



CRAB OR CROP GRASS— (Panicum Sanguinale.) 



Erect, one to two feet, leaves and sheaths oftener heavy, spikes five to 

 nine, digitate, spreading from four to six inches, rachis flexuous, spikelets 

 oblong, lanceolate one and a half lines, upper glumes one-half as long as 

 the flower, lower one minnte, waste grounds. ( Wood.) 



This grass must not be confounded with the Eleusine 

 Indioa, also called Crab grass, from its supposed resem- 

 blance to a crab. 



This species is so familiar to every Southern farmer that 



