THE NATURAL HISDORY OF BRITISH GRASSES. 55 
in which it is stated, that “upon the whole it is an inferior 
grass ; its strong creeping roots exhaust the soil ; its growth 
after mowing is slow; and its spring growth, though early, 
is inconsiderable; and upon the whole it is unfit to be 
introduced among the superior sorts.” 
Now, as regards the creeping roots, these are never strong 
in the pasture ; if, however, the grass be employed in turf- 
walks in the garden, it then spreads strong rhizomes into 
the plots in contact, on which account it should never be 
brought to such situations ; but how rhizomes could exhaust 
the soil except by producing grass, we cannot make out; 
the truth is, that all good grasses exhaust the soil if taken 
off in the shape of hay, and this one especially by reason of 
its good crops; but such{should be invigorated by manuring 
and good cultivation, for which this species amply repays. 
4. Poa compressa—fat-stalked meadow grass—can only 
be looked upon as a weed, and its thin wiry rhizomes make 
it very troublesome in some of the brashes of the inferior 
and great oolite limestone rocks; the Gloucestershire 
farmer distinguishes it by the name of squitch, whilst the 
stronger rhizomes of Triticum repens are termed couch. 
This weed is very difficult to get rid of, as it creeps beneath 
the stones, so that the plough has but little chance with it, 
and where it once takes root it is too rapid in its spread to 
be mastered by the fork. The plan we have seen as most 
effective is to sow white mustard in the wheat stubbles in 
which it prevails, and, when eaten off by the sheep, apply a 
dressing of decomposed farmyard manure, and plough up 
for a winter fallow. In spring prepare for the turnip 
crop, which should be sown on the ridge; by such means 
the soil becomes deeper and better in quality—two circum- 
stances which, besides want of rest, are highly prejudicial 
to the growth of squitch. 
5. Poa nemoralis —wood meadow-grass—though early, 
yet yields so small a quantity of light culms and delicate 
leaves as to render it scarcely worth cultivation; at the 
game time, if cut early, it sends up a second crop of flowers ; 
