AGEICULTUEAL GEASSES. 29 



Even then Cocksfoot is more suitable for temporary pastures, not- 

 withstanding the fact that Foxtail is the more nutritious variety. 

 Foxtail is, in fact, essentially a landlord's grass, for which he may 

 willingly pay in the full assurance that the future of the pasture 

 will justify the outlay. 



Foxtail begins to bloom about the middle of April, but by 

 the third week of May it is practically in full flower, and should 

 there be- a sufficient proportion of it in a meadow to warrant 

 early mowing, the crop ought to be cut ; for although ripening 

 does not, as with nearly all other grasses, seriously deteriorate 

 the quality, it is wasteful to allow the bulk of its palatable 

 and nourishing herbage to be shrivelled up and lost on the 

 ground while other varieties are maturing. The necessity for 

 early cutting should influence the proportion of Foxtail included 

 in a prescription for a meadow, but in laying down a pasture 

 this consideration need not be entertained. After taking a crop 

 it is one of the quickest grasses to commence growing, shooting 

 up its green herbage before other varieties make a start, and in 

 quantity the aftermath frequently exceeds the early growth. 



One characteristic which alone gives Foxtail a high value is 

 the immense quantity of leafy herbage it produces in proportion 

 to the quantity of stalk, and for this reason the extent of its pre- 

 sence in a pasture often remains unsuspected. The early growth 

 is also in its favour. Other conditions being equal, a pasture 

 which contains Foxtail in abundance will carry stock ten days in 

 advance of a pasture in which it is wanting. These facts have 

 doubtless originated the idea that Foxtail is pecuHarly a pasture 

 grass, but it yields so good a crop and of such excellent quality 

 that it is almost of equal service for making into hay. As one of 

 the few grasses that thrive under trees, it should be plentifully 

 used in sowing down orchards and shady pastures. 



In the North this grass is not much sown for hay, because 

 in high latitudes the culms seed long before other herbage is fit 

 for the scythe. Otherwise it is as well adapted to Scotland as to 

 the Forth of Europe generally, for there is scarcely a forage plant 



