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is now rery generally bought for fowing. The oat is a 

 reiy proruable grain, and a great improvement to many 

 eftates in the north of England, Scotland, and Wales ; for ' 

 it will thrive in cold barren foils, which vvill prodnce no 

 other fort of grain ; it will alfo thrive on the hotteft land ; 

 in Ihort there is no foil too rich, or too poor, too hot, or 

 too cold for it ; and in wet hai-vells, when other grain is 

 fpoiltd, this will receive little or no damage. The mtal of 

 this grain makes a tolerably good bread, and is the common 

 food of die country people in the north. It is alfo elleemcd 

 for pottage and other melfcs, and in fome places they make 

 beer with it. 7. A. niida, naked oat, pilcorn, or pilhs. " Pa- 

 nicled ; calyxes three-flowtred ; receptacle exceeding the 

 calyx ; petals awntd at the back ; the third floret awnlcfs." 

 Tiiis has been coniidtred as a Britifli plant by Ray, Hnd- 

 fon, and Willicring ; but Dr. Smith fays It is by no means 

 to be claffed among our indigenous plants. Linnxus obferves 

 it is very nearly allieil to the f.niva ; and Haller remarks 

 that the calyx is fometimes two-flQwercd, but thai the awn 

 is neither twiftcd nor jointed. We are told the feeds h-.ve 

 been cultivated, and for the ufcs of the poor anfwer all the 

 piirpofes of oatmeal. 8. A. fatua, wild oat or haver. Hudt. 

 With. Smith. Brit. 139. Mart. Fl. Ruft. Si. " -Panicicd ; 

 calyxes moftly three- flowed ; florets awncd, and hairy at 

 the bafe." Annual ; culm ertcl, iimple, three feet high, a 

 little leafy, ilriated, very fmooth ; leaves linear, patent, 

 iiervofe, fcabrous ; flieaths thin, nervofe, fmooth ; Itipules 

 obtufe, tooth-letted, lacerated ; panicle ereft, much branched, 

 and fpreading ; peduncles alternate, capillary, fcabrous, 

 thickened towards the apex, nodding ; calycine glumes 

 equal, lanceolate, acute, nerved, fmooth, longer than the 

 florets ; florets for the moll part three, remote, gradually 

 diminifhing, roundifh, befet with tufts of hair at the bafe, 

 awned from the middle of the back, awn twice the length 

 of the calyx, rough, jointed, twiftcd at the end ; interior 

 glume concave, naked, ciliated. Seed has a foft hairy 

 covering. It grows in fields and hedges, and is one of our 

 moft dcftruftive annual weeds among corn. The awns are 

 fometimes ufed for hydrometers, and the feeds inftead of ar- 

 tificial flies, in fifliingtor trout. 9. h. fefqmtert'ia. Schtuch. 

 Gram. zio. t. 4. f. 17. " Panicled ; calyxes moftly three- 

 flowered ; all the florets awned ; receptacles bearded." Pa- 

 nicle oblong ; the flowers appear to be hairy, but all the 

 liairs fit on pedicels or receptacles within the calyx among 

 the flowers. The third flower is imperfeft. Haller thinks 

 it to be only a variety of \\icj!avcfceus. A native of Ger- 

 many, Swifferland, &c. 10. h.. puhefccns, foft oat-grafs. 

 Hudf. With. Smith. " Panicle ereft, almoft fimple, calyxes 

 commonly three-flowered, receptacle bearded, leaves flat, 

 pubefcent." Perennial ; culm one or two feet high, ereft, 

 fmiple, roundifli, fmooth, ftriated, leafy ; leaves fpreading, 

 Ihort, obtufe, flat, which together with the flieaths are co- 

 vered with a foft down ; Itipule fliort, deltoid ; panicle con- 

 tracted fo as to appear like a Ipike ; calycine glumes very un- 

 equal, keeled, fcabrous, pointed, membranaceous, naked; in- 

 terior much longer, three-nerved ; florets three, the third often 

 abortive, remotilh, clubbed-cydindric, nervofe, roughifh, dia- 

 phanous, awned towards the middle of the back ; interior 

 glume fmaller and weaker, roiigh at the edge ; common 

 receptacle elongated above the florets, befet with white hairs. 

 It grows in dry meadows and chalky paftures, flowering 

 in June. \\. A.. Jlenlts, great wild, or bearded oat-grafs. 

 •'Panicled; calyxes tlve-flowered ; the outer florets and 

 awns hairy at the bafe, the inner ones awnlefs." Annual ; 

 culms three or four feet high, fmooth ; leaves fmooth, flat, 

 (harp, very long ; flowers pendulous ; calyxes four or five- 

 flowered ; valves lanceolate, acuminate, concave, equal, 



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fmooth, white with green ftreaks. In tlie two outer florets, 

 the outer valve of the corolla refembles a valve of the calys 

 in form, but fhorter, and puts forth an awn two inches long. 

 The other florets are awnlefs. A native of Barbary and 

 Spain. Introduced, into the Kew garden by M. Thonin, in 

 1777. 12. A. Jlavefcens, yellow oat-grafs. Hndf With. 

 Smith. Curt. Lond. 3. t. 5. " Panicle much branched, 

 loofe, calyxes moftly three-flowered, unequal ; receptacle 

 haiiy ; leaves flat, fubpubefcent." Culm ereft, but curved 

 at the bafe, a foot and a half high, ftriated, jointed ; leaves 

 flat, acute, ftriated, more or Icfs pubefcent ; panicle fome- 

 v.'hat nodding, fpreading, branched very much, many-flow- 

 ered, of a fljining gold colour ; calycine glumes acute, 

 keeled, fcabrous on the back, one twice the fize of the 

 other, three-nerved ; florets two or three, remotifli, lanceo- 

 late, compreffed, obfcurely nervofe, awned ; awn twice the 

 length of the floret, fcabrous ; interior glume narrower ; re- 

 ceptacle hairy. It grows in meadows, paftures, and the- 

 fides of roads, flowering in June and July. In many of 

 our counties, this fptcies forms the principal part of the 

 fineil pafturage on the downs, and in fome meadows it con- 

 tributes to the goodntfs as well as greatnefs of the crop. 

 13. A. Ivjphliu "Panicled; calyxes three- flowered, liairy." 

 Cidms a foot high, fmooth ; fhcaths hairy ; panicle or ra- 

 ceme with undivided pedicels, three or four ; glumes oblong, 

 acuminate, hairy, upright ; corolla awl-lhaped ; awns 

 twifted, twice or three times the length of the flowers. 14. 

 A. capmjis. " Panicle contracled ; calyxes three-flowered, 

 fubulate ; corolla pubefcent ; middle awn twifted, curved." 

 Root creeping ; leaves few, fmooth, with a rugged edge ; 

 culms a foot high, fmooth ; panicle fpike-like, ovate-ob- 

 long, purple ; the laft pedicels capillary ; calyx the length 

 of the flower ; valves equal, 'attenuated ip.to an awn ; outer 

 valve of the corolla fubpubefcent, bifid, terminated by two 

 ftraight awns, and an intermediate one twifted, doible the 

 length of the others ; inner valve (hort. Tins and the hif- 

 pida are natives of the Cape. 15. A. purpurea. " Panicle 

 contrafted ; calyxes two flowered, ovate ; corollas villofe ; 

 outer glume bifid ; awn terminal, bent jn." A very little, 

 fmooth, jointed grafs ; leaves briftle-fhaped, fmooth, tufted, 

 ihort, like thofe of fcftuca ovina ; panicle fmall ; glumes of 

 the calyx purple ; valves lanceolate, keeled, fmooth ; all 

 the florets are awned, and covered with a \^'hite down. A 

 native of Martinico. 16. A. lutea. " Panicle fpreading; 

 calyxes two-flowered, fubulate ; corollas naked, three-awned, 

 middle awn flexuofe." This refembles aira flexuoi'a both in 

 habit and colour. A native of Martinico. 17. A. lupul'ma. 

 " Panicle contrafted, ovate ; calyxes three-flowered, lance- 

 olate ; corollas villofe, outer glume bifubulate ; middle awn 

 reflex." This is not readily diftinguifhed from the 15th. 

 It is larger, with flieaths extremely tomentofe. Panicle yel- 

 low, clofely crowded ; flowers longer than thofe of the 

 15th, with the corollas bifid and more hirfute ; the divifions 

 fubulate, awned. A native of the Cape, found by Thun- 

 berg. 18. A. y>i;^///.r, brittle oat-grafs. Schreb. Gram. t. 24, 

 " Spiked ; calyxes four-flowered, longer than tlie floret." 

 Culms many, Imooth, with three joints, fix or feven inches 

 high ; leaves flat, ciliate ; fpike the length of the culm ; flo- 

 rets in a double row, preifed clofe, and alternate ; calyx two 

 or four-flowered, lateral, oblong, pubefcent ; one valve twice 

 the length of the other ; outer valve of the corolla fliarp, 

 with an awn from the back. This is the only avena truly 

 fpiked. A native of Spain. Introduced by Monf. Richard, 

 in 1770. 19. A. pratinfis, narrow-leaved oat-grafs. Hudf. 

 With. Smith. Gramen aven, &c. Ray Syn. t. 21. f. i. ed. 2. 

 252. n. 2. & 345. Scheuch. Agr. 230. " Spike eredt ; 

 calyxes moftly five-flowered ; receptacles hairy ; leaves invo- 

 lute, 



