50 



PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY PASTURES 



that the ' Festuca elatior of English authors is the same plant 

 as Festuca arundinacea of the Germans.' 



I need hardly say that, principally in consequence of the 

 confusion caused by the fact that the German collectors and 

 botanists know pratensis as elatior, large quantities of seed are 

 sold in England under the name of elatior which are simply 

 pratensis Hudsoni. The true elatior (arundinacea) seed is dis- 

 tinguishable by its larger size and the more pointed shape of 

 each grain. It has also a very perceptible roughness on the 

 back of each seed, the three nerves extending the whole length 

 of the back of the grain being armed with minute spines which 

 are easily seen under an ordinary microscope, and these spines 

 are entirely absent in the smaller seed of the true pratensis 

 Hudson/. 



Sinclair named the F. arundinacea of the Continent 

 Festuca elatior fertilis, and he had never seen it in a wild state 

 in this country. He says : ' This grass, which is nearly allied to 

 the common Festuca elatior, perfects an abundance of seed, 

 though not entirely free from diseased portions, and is there- 

 fore not liable to the objection which takes so much from the 

 value of that variety (F. elatior stcril/s). It is equally early in 

 the produce of foliage, and flowers earlier than the barren Tall 

 Fescue by eight or ten days. The produce is equally nutritive. 

 For damp soils that cannot conveniently be made sufficiently 

 dry by drains this would be a most valuable plant, either to be 

 cut for soiling or made into hay and reduced to chaff as it 

 might be wanted.' 



The sowing of a considerable quantity of F. elatior 

 (Festuca arundinacea) seed on certain new pastures, and the 

 vigorous growth of the plant, especially in times of drought, 

 induced Mr. Carmthers to recommend this grass for good 

 medium loams and strong soils, and not simply, as advised 

 by Sinclair and others, for moist undrained clays and fens. 

 Experience has proved that this Fescue is not permanent 

 on soils which differ from its natural habitat, and I still 



