710  On  Sweet  Vernal  Grass  and  Golden  Oat  Grass,  Sfc. 
large  breadths  unmixed  with  other  grasses ; while  the  seeds  of 
the  Arena  are  collected  from  individual  plants  growing  amongst 
other  grasses,  so  that  their  collection  necessarily  involves  greater 
labour.  Then  the  price  of  the  seed  of  Aira  Jlexuosa  is  from 
20s.  to  30s.  per  cwt.,  while  the  same  quantity  of  Arena  flavescens 
costs  from  150s.  to  220s.  I have  reason  to  believe  that  less 
than  a hundredth  part  of  the  seed  sold  last  year  in  this  country 
as  Arena  jlarescens  belonged  to  this  species,  and  that  ninety- 
nine  parts  out  of  a hundred  were  the  seeds  of  this  worthless 
Aira  One  firm,  having  a deservedly  large  seed-trade,  had 
the  misfortune  this  year  to  acquire  Aira  Jlexuosa  as  Arena 
Jlarescens,  without  a single  seed  of  the  Arena  being  mixed  with 
it.  It  is  not  easy  to  realise  the  injury  to  pastures  and  the  loss 
to  farmers  which  the  distribution  of  this  worthless  grass  must 
have  unwittingly  caused.  But  the  distribution  of  wavy  hair- 
grass,  under  the  name  of  yellow  oat-grass,  has  not  been  confined 
to  one  house.  The  main  purpose  I have  in  drawing  special 
attention  to  these  adulterations  and  substitutions,  and  giving 
the  accompanying  figures  by  which  they  may  be  detected,  is  to 
draw  the  attention  of  the  trade  to  their  parcels,  in  the  hope 
that  they  may  avoid  being  imposed  upon,  and  so  be  prevented 
from  unwittingly  purchasing  and  distributing  a worthless  weed 
instead  of  a valuable  grass. 
The  wavy  hair-grass  has  long  fibrous  soots,  a stem  from 
1 to  2 feet  high,  and  a large  number  of  very  narrow  bristle- 
shaped,  roughish  leaves,  the  lower  and  outer  ones  being  longer 
and  more  numerous  than  the  upper.  The  flowers  are  in  a 
spreading  panicle,  the  branches  being  hair-like  and  wavy. 
The  seeds  of  this  grass  can  be  readily  distinguished  from 
those  of  the  yellow  oat-grass  by  the  twisted  awn  which  springs 
from  near  the  base  of  the  outer  pale.  The  inner  pale  is  smaller 
and  firmer  in  texture,  and  its  edges  are  covered  by  those  of  the 
outer  pale.  The  base  of  the  outer  pale  is  surrounded  by  a crown 
of  spreading  silvery  hairs,  and  two  pencils  of  similar  hairs 
spring  from  either  side  of  the  otherwise  smooth  persistent  stalk, 
lying  on  the  face  of  the  grain. 
The  figures  of  the  whole  grasses  described  in  this  paper 
should  enable  the  farmer  to  recognise  any  of  them  present  in 
his  fields.  If  he  accepts  the  seed  on  the  testimony  of  the 
merchant  from  whom  he  buys  it,  without  careful  examination 
to  discover  whether  it  be  the  seed  he  has  ordered  or  not,  he 
ought  at  least  to  be  able  to  discover  what  are  the  plants  that 
appear  in  his  pasture,  from  the  admirable  drawings  by  Mr.  R. 
Morgan  which  accompany  this  paper,  even  though  they  are 
reduced  one-third,  to  suit  the  pages  of  the  ‘ Journal.’ 
