546 



Grass and Clover Seed Growing. 



[Sept., 



note where Crested Dogstail is grown alone as a definite crop. 

 In former years the grass used to be cultivated in Hampshire 

 for the straw which was used in the manufacture of straw 

 bonnets, but since the latter have gone out of fashion the Dogs- 

 tail industry has been dropped. It is possible that its revival as 

 a seed crop would be worth trial. 



Cocksfoot. — Cocksfoot is one of the outstanding instances 

 among grasses where there seem to be great possibilities for the 

 development of English-grown strains. At present British- 

 grown Cocksfoot only represents a very small fraction of our 

 cocksfoot consumption, and as was pointed out at the beginning 

 of this article, cocksfoots are very variable in character and 

 quality, a fact which suggests that it ought not to be difficult to 

 select strains especially suitable to Britain from among our 

 indigenous plants. There is a remarkable growth of Wild 

 Cocksfoot each year on the waysides and waste places of several 

 districts, the most noteworthy being the south and south-western 

 counties of England, where it is associated sometimes with 

 Tall Oatgrass, and sometimes with Sweet Vernal. It seems 

 probable that both Cocksfoot and Tall Oatgrass from such 

 districts would repay cultivation and selection. In the case of 

 Tall Oatgrass, however, very great care must be taken that the 

 bulbous variety, which is largely represented among the wayside 

 flora, be avoided in making the selection. The introduction of 

 this weed into arable land would only spell disaster. 



Failing selection from wild plants, the remarkably strong 

 growth of these species in the wild state suggests that the culti- 

 vation of them in these districts would be a paying proposition, 

 even though purchased seed were used. 



The demand for Sweet Vernal is so small and its value in 

 many cases so doubtful that it is a question whether the culti- 

 vation of the species in its present condition is to be recom- 

 mended, but to judge from the character presented by some wild 

 sweet vernals it seems highly probable that here again careful 

 selection could provide a strain suitable for this country which 

 would produce much more herbage than do our present vernals, 

 in which case, in view of its earliness, the species would be 

 considerably enhanced in value. 



Meadow Fescue. — A few odd crops of Meadow and Tall Fescues 

 are seeded in scattered districts, but there is no special area 

 denitely committed to the production of them. Festuca pratensis 

 appears to be a species which does very well in districts that suit 



