COTTON GRASS. 



39 



Sect. II. — Weeds on Meadow and Pasture Lands. 



1. The "Cotton grass, harestail, or moss cups," or the 

 " Eriophorum " of botany, grows in bogs or boggy meadows. 

 The plant belongs to the class and order " Triandria mono- 

 gynia" of Linneus, and the natm^al order Cyperoidese " of 

 Jussieu. 



Generic character. — Spike, or rather catkin, imbricated 

 every way; scales ovate, oblong, flat, shghtly inflexed, 

 pointed, membranous, loose, separating the flowers. Corolla 

 none. Stamina : filaments three, capillary ; anthers erect, 

 oblong. Pistil : germen superior, very small ; style thread- 

 shaped, the length of the calyx scale; stigmas, three 

 longer than the style, reflexed. Pericarp none. Seed trian- 

 gular, pointed, surrounded at the base with numerous hairs 

 longer than the spike. 



Essential character. — Glumes chafly, imbricated everyway. 

 Corolla none. Seed one, invested with very long hairs. 



The " Eriophorum vaginatum," the mountain or single- 

 spiked cotton grass, has the culms sheathed, spike scariose. 

 Root leaves obscurely three-cornered, sharp, streaked on two 

 sides, convex on one side, flat on two sides. Flowers in 

 April and May. Sheep are very fond of it. Ray calls it 

 " Hare's tail rush ;" and in Westmoreland it is called ^' moss 

 crops." It is a native of bogs or boggy pastures, in cold 

 barren situations. The " Eriophorum augustifolium," cr the 

 " Narrow-leaved cotton grass," is very similar to this plant, 

 and is often confounded with it. They grow in the same 

 situations, and produce nearly similar flowers at the same 

 time. 



The presence of this plant as a weed is a certain indication 

 that drainage has been neglected, and that it is of course 

 necessary to be attended to and practised, in order to restore 

 the meadow to the proper state for the growth of good herb- 

 age. Top-dressings with well-prepared composts must be 

 applied at the same time. 



