RAY 



RAY 



its general and partial ftalks ; unlefs we, like Linnaus, con- 

 fider the whole umbel as one aggregate flower. See Um- 

 BELLA, and Inflokescknce. 



Ray-G/yi/t, in /Igrlciihurt; an ufeful fort of early g-rafs 

 that has lonjrbcen, and Hill is, mucii cultivated by the farmer 

 in fome dillricts. There are (aid to be different varieties of 

 this grafs, but that grown by Mr. Peacey, of Devonfliirc, 

 has been found, on experience, much iuperior to the common 

 fort. This grafs has fometimes the title of rye-grafs. See 

 LoLlUM I'eienne. 



It has been remarked by the Rev. Mr. Duncan, of Kil- 

 marnock, in the fourth volume of Communications to the 

 Board of Agriculture, that it has been found of late that 

 there is an annual and perennial kind ; that the hitter lliould 

 only be fown ; but tliat the annual feed, he thinks, affords 

 the greatell and moil palatable crop of hay, and may be 

 fown on thofe light foils vrhich more readily tend to grafs, 

 at leaft a confiderable proportion of it (liould be blended 

 with the perennial feed. He adds, that the two kinds of 

 feeds a:e readily dillinguiflied by a careful obferver, as the 

 perennial is fmaller, and fairer in colour, than the annual, 

 and likev/ife much lighter. Good annual feed weighs from 

 21 to 24lbs. avoirdupois weight ^frbufhel, but the perennial 

 only from i6 to iSlbs. As no diltinftion of thcfe foi-ts 

 was formerly made by farmers, he fuggefts it as probable 

 that they have come to be known and dilHnguifh-d, from 

 the circnmftance of no ray-grafs difappearing wholly the 

 firft year, by which fome perfons have been tempted, from 

 the high price of the feed, to allow what remained in the 

 fecond year to advance to maturity, though to the great 

 injury of the pafture. It is therefore from the feed of the 

 fecond year's crop that he luppofes the perennial grafs has 

 gradually originated ; and its inferiority in point of fub- 

 ftance feems, he thinks, to prove the luppoiition. By this 

 means the farmer may, by allotting a fmall portion of good 

 land for the purpofe, fupply himfelf with what is faid to be 

 the perennial feed, without fubmitting to the impofition of 

 an extravagant price, and may probably enfure or, improve 

 upon the durability of it, by colletting feed from the third 

 or fourth year's growth. 



It is found to be an excellent grafs for pafture as well as 

 hay. It has an early, but not very abundant, foliage. It 

 is highly relifhed by cattle and fheep. From its being apt 

 to run up into flowering ftems, it (hould be kept well fed 

 down. From its fecreting and depofiting much faccharine 

 matter in the joints of the ftems, it affords a large propor- 

 tion of nutritious matter for the fupport of animals, both in 

 its green ftate and when made into hay. And it is faid not 

 10 affeil; the wind of liorfes, which renders it particularly 

 valuable for hunting and racing horfes. 



It has, however, been objefted to by fome, from the 

 quanrity of flower ftems which it fends up ; but this is 

 afferted by others to be only tlie cafe when it grows in dry 

 upland fituations. It is found, of courfe, to vary much 

 under different circumftances and fituations. 



The foils that are moft fuitable for it are thofe of the 

 loamy and fandy kinds, but it is capable of being grown on 

 thofe of the clayey forts when not too ftiff. Ou the two 

 firff forts,' in mixture with other grafles, it frequently becomes 

 permanent, and affords an ufeful fpring food, elpecially for 

 ftieep ftock. 



As it is found to produce a thick well-conneftcd fward in 

 foils of the rich fertile kinds, it has been fiippofed only 

 fuited to them, though occafionally met with in thofe of the 

 poorer defcriptions. 



In Elfex it is found very bad for the ftrong wet heavy lands. 



But in other diftrifts it is moft fown in ftiff clayey foils, 

 where clover i« liable to fail in coming up well. .Some, how- 

 ever, find that a light foil is quite as fuitable for it 33 one of 

 a clayey nature ; and that though it may be moft fown in ftiff 

 heavy lands, it is not from the notion that lighter foils are 

 lefs fuited to it, but that fuch lands may be covered with 

 this grafs, fhould the clover crop not turn out well in confc- 

 quence of the great ftiftncls of thefe clayey foils. 



On the ftiff clayey foils the proportion of feed is ufually 

 from one buftiel to one bufliel and a half of ray-grafs, with 

 eight or ten pounds of red clover feed, to the acre. On other 

 foils from fix to ten gallons of ray-grafs, with from five to 

 eigiil pounds of red clover feed, and from two to four pounds 

 of trefoil feed, are ufed to the acre ; fome adding to thefe, 

 two, three, or more, pounds of white clover feed. 



In Suffex, for a layer for one or two years, they em- 

 ploy of ray-grafs feed three gallons, and of red clover 

 and trefoil feed each one gallon, to the acre. 



But for permanent pafture the proportion is this. Of ray- 

 grafs feed four gallons, Dutch clover and trefoil feed, of 

 each two gallons to the acre. Otlier different proportions 

 are made ufe of in different cafes. 



It has been well remarked by Dr. Campbell, in the third 

 volume of Communications to the Board of Agriculture, 

 that when land is in a proper ilate of manure, ray-grafs 

 united with white clover, will form a perfedf fward the latter 

 end of the fecond year after it is fown. A particular 

 field, of about five acres, that was fown with thefe two 

 graffes only, was, he fays, more perfeftly grafted over, than 

 others, which had the addition of trefoil and rib-grafs, and 

 which were fown at the fame time. A neighbour of his, 

 the only man in the county that had tried ray-grafs, told 

 him it would not anfwer, and referred him to a particular 

 field where fome had been fown. The faft was, the doftor 

 fays, that he had cropped his field with oats until it wsm no 

 longer worth ploughing, and then, with his laft feed, he 

 fowed ray-grafs, which certainly did not flourifh. But his 

 argument would, he thinks, have been equally conclufive 

 againft any grafs or grain whatever. The ray-grafs lan- 

 guifhed, and finally died away, giving place to the tegeta* 

 tion fuited to the Ilate of the land. If it be expefted that 

 ray-grafs, or any other good grafs, fhould thrive and pro- 

 duce abundant crops on exhauited or poor land, it muft not, 

 he fays, be in the foil which occurs here. And he adds the 

 following ufeful remarks, on converting ray-grafs into hay ; it 

 is neceftary to cut it at a period previous to its being fo ripe 

 as to have perfefted its feed, and changed to a yellow co- 

 lour ; for in this cafe a great part of the juices of the plant, 

 which conttitute a principal part of the nutriment it is to 

 afford, will be converted into a fpecies of ftraw, and its nu- 

 tritive properties be proportionably diminifhed. When it is 

 made into hay, perfons not acquainted with its qualities are 

 apt to objeft to its apparent coarfei>efs, which proceeds from 

 its confifting almolt entirely of flowering-ilems, the ray- 

 grafs linving a comparatively fmaller proportion of leaves 

 than any other grafs. Whether this be a defeft or a merit 

 will, he thinks, depend upon a folution of this queftion : 

 Do the ftems and flowering parts of grafs, or the leaves 

 taken weight for weight, contain the greater proportion ©f 

 nutriment ? It does not appear, he fays, that this has been 

 determined by experiments inflituted for the purpofe ; but 

 it feems probable, from the ftems being fo much fweeter 

 than the leaves, (which is particularly perceptible upon 

 chewing them when about half dry,) and from thofe vege- 

 tables which contain much faccharine matter being particu- 

 larly nutritious, that the greater proportionate quantity of 

 3 Q 2 nutrimeni 



