Thefe graffes differ chiefly in the following particulars: the praterfis is m every part perfectly fmooth ; while 



in the trivially the ftalk, leaves, fheaths of the leaves, and branches of the panicle, all feel rough if the plant 



be drawn downward betwixt the thumb and finger : exclufive of this difference, which is a very good one for 



a common obferver, in the trivialis the fheath of the leaf is flatter and more deeply fluted : nor do the roots 



of thefe two plants differ lefs; the trivialis being limply fibrous; the pratenfis creeping, and fending out many 



white moots : but what diftinguifhes them mod fully and moft infallibly, is the difference in the membrane 



at die bottom of the leaf, where the {heath begins ; this in the pratenfis is very fhort and blunt ; in the 



trivialis it is long and pointed : and the beauty of this diftinction is, that it is obvious to the moll common 



jobferver; nor did_ I ever know it fail me, let the grafs vary ever fo much in fize and other particulars. 



They differ alfo with refpect to the fize of the fpiculae and the number of flowers contained in each : in the 



trivialis they are either biflorous or triflorous ; in the pratenfis they are moft commonly quinquejlorous. Such 



are the moft obvious diftinctions in the grafles themfelves : other circumftances contribute to render them ftill 



more fo. The pratenfis grows generally on walls; indeed there is not a wall in any of the villages around 



town on which it may not be found in abundance : it very frequently occurs on dry banks, and oftentimes 



in meadows. The trivialis is fcarce ever found on walls, feldom'on dry banks; but moft frequently in moift 



meadows, or the fides of ditches ; fo that the one grafs feems to delight in a dry, the other in a moift fituation. 



They differ fomewhat alfo in the time of their flowering ; the pratenfis flowering about the third week in May, the 



trivialis the firft week in June : and there is this remarkable with refpecl; to the flowering of the pratenfis, that after 



it has flowered in the Spring, it fhews no difpofition to flower during the Summer; while the trivialis is found in 



bloom, though not generally, during the whole of the Summer. Added to this, there is a firmnefs in the ftalk of 



the pratenfis not perceivable in the trivialis. By an attention to thefe remarks, I truft the young botanift will acquire 



a clear idea of them, without having recourfe to the pubefcence, &c. which, though laid fo much ftrefs on by 



Linnaeus and Scopoli, is by no means adequate to the diftinguifhing of them. Indeed' it is difficult to know 



rightly what they mean by fpkulis bafi puheficentibus* as no pubeicen.ce is perceivable in them outwardly; but if one 



attempts to draw the flofcules out of the glumes of the calyx, we perceive a filamentofe appearance, which feems 



to connect the florets and calyx together : but this appearance, which is indeed a very ftriking and lingular one, 



and which I have not yet obferved in any other grafles, takes place nearly in an equal degree in both : this fub- 



ftance adheres to the feed when feparated, and caufes them to hang to one another as if there were cobwebs 



among them; fo that a perfon ignorant of the caufe, from an examination of fuch feed, might conclude it old and 



good for nothing: this appearance is moft ftriking in the trivialis. Ray, whofe defcriptions always accord with 



nature, and are taken from the moft obvious characters of the plant, mentions the roughnefs, (Culmi jionnihil afiperi :) 



but the particular fliape of the membrane has not, that I know of, been noticed till now. 



The Poa pratenfis may be considered as a valuable grafs, and one of thofe which ought to enter into the 

 compofition of a good meadow or pafture ; I fay compofition, becaufe I imagine every good meadow fhould be 

 compounded of a variety of graffes, each having peculiar and valuable properties. We are not to expect all that 

 can be wifhed in a meadow in one grafs ; fome are calculated to produce food, and carry a beautiful verdure even 

 in the depth of winter : fome bring forth early fhoots, and make choice food for cattle in the fpring : 

 fome produce a large quantity of fweet tender leaves at bottom ; others by the weight and height of their ftalks, 

 and of their heads or panicles at top, encreafe the weight of the hay : fome fhoot ftrongly and produce a 

 large aftermath : fome give a more agreeable fmell to the hay. So that to have a good meadow, we fhould 

 have a variety of graffes ; and if we may argue from analogy, a variety of food may alfo be more grateful to cattle. 



The principal advantages of the Poa pratenfis are, that it is a fweet grafs, and eaten readily by cattle in 

 general : it carries its verdure in the winter better than moft others, and throws out young and numerous 

 moots in the fpring, fo as to make good fpring food. It produces a good crop of leaves at bottom, which 

 make exceeding fine hay, and is fit for cutting early in the fpring. 



There is a glaucous or, blueifh variety of this grafs occurs frequently in meadows : it varies alfo in the num- 

 ber of its flofcules, from three to five, or fometimes more: as likewife in its fize : when growing on walls or dry 

 banks, it does not reach half the height which it does in fertile meadows. 



