42 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH GRASSES. 
The sweepings of waste places, when they are thus cased 
for, find their way to the muck-heap; and from this, agra- 
rian grasses and other weeds are continually being very 
industriously and equally spread over the land. 
ABRHENATHERUM—panicle lax, glumes of two valves, 
and two florets, the lowest of which has a long 
twisted awn, the upper one a short bristle on the 
outer glumel, lower floret with stamens only, upper 
one perfect, z.c. with stamens and pistils. 
A. avenaceum— oat-like grass—a tall species, growing 
much after the manner of the oat, to which its trivial name 
of oat-like has reference; both its culms and aftermath are 
usually produced in abundance ; but it possesses an exceed- 
ingly bitter taste ; and though Sinclair says “it is eaten by 
all sorts of cattle,’ yet we have uniformly noticed that 
cows and sheep refuse it unless starved to it by want of 
something better. “It contains too large a proportion of 
bitter extractive and saline matter to warrant its cultivation 
without a considerable admixture of different grasses; and 
the same objection extends to its cultivation in permanent 
pasture,” according to the author just quoted; but as he 
finds it “ always present in the composition of the best 
natural meadows,” so he concludes that it should have a 
place in the list of species for the laying down of permanent 
pastures. However, from a long observation of this grass, 
both in separate plots and in the meadow, we are inclined 
to think that it would be better to discourage its growth; 
it may indeed be seen in the good meadow, but it is best 
grown in the worst parts thereof; and, from the peculiarity 
of its constitution, it is capable of adapting itself to a wide 
range of circumstances, and hence the universality of its 
occurrence. We have two distinct forms, and under con- 
stant conditions, permanent varieties, namely, the typical 
A. avenaceum in deep and moist soils, and the curious 
variety bwlboswm in sandy lands. The former of these has 
a swelling at its lower node; but as in its locality there is 
