﻿bundles, very short, somewhat branched, upright ; before and after 

 flowering contracted closer, the lower ones more remote. Flowers 

 generally closed, brownish, turning yellow with age. Paleee of the 

 Corolla the length only of the shorter glume of the Calyx. Nectary 

 (see fig. 3.) of 2 small, pellucid, shining, egg-shaped scales, con- 

 sidered by some Botanists as an inner corolla, these closely embrace 

 the germen, and are not easily distinguished, unless they are ob- 

 served just at the time that the anthers are protruding from between 

 them, when they are very distinct; but as soon as the anthers are 

 excluded, they again close on the germen, and continue to form a 

 coat to the seed which does not separate. Filaments 2, (by which 

 it is distinguished from all other British Grasses, except Bromus 

 diandrus,) very long. Anthers long, purple, and forked at each 

 end, (see fig. 3.) Seed (fig. 5.) single, and inclosed within the 

 brown, shining nectary. 



Dr. Brown has taken a very different view of the flowers of this 

 genus from that given above ; he considers the calyx as 3-flowered ; 

 the 2 paleee of the corolla as two imperfect outer and lower flowers, 

 each reduced to a single awned valve; and the two valves of the 

 nectary as constituting a central perfect flower. — Mr. Wilson ob- 

 serves, that the germen is spurred at the base, and that there is no 

 scale there, as in most other Grasses. See Hook. Brit. FI. 



This is one of our earliest Grasses, and principally occasions the 

 delightful smell so peculiar to new-mown hay; hence its name of 

 odoratum, or sweet-scented. If the leaves are gathered and held in 

 the hand a few minutes, they exhale a grateful odour, similar to that 

 of Woodruff ( Asperula odorata ) , t. 46. — Boccone states, that a 

 distilled water is prepared from this grass, as the vehicle of some 

 perfumes. If it be gathered while in flower, wrapped in a paper, 

 and carried in the pocket, it retains the smell of new-mown hay for 

 a long time. This fragrance depends, according to Vogel, upon the 

 presence of Benzoic acid. — The late Mr. John Sinclair states, that 

 it constitutes a portion of the herbage on pastures on almost every 

 kind of soil, although it attains to perfection on those only that are 

 deep and moist. It thrives best, he says, and is most productive and 

 permanent when combined with other species of grasses, and it is 

 therefore a true permanent pasture grass. When sown by itself, it 

 is not a profitable grass. In Baxter’s Library of Agricultural 

 and Horticultural Knowledge, we are informed that “ Mr. Grant, 

 of Leighton, laid down a field of considerable extent with this grass, 

 and another adjoining field with the meadow foxtail, ( Alopecurus 

 pratensisj, t. 45. A portion of clover seed was sown in each case; 

 white clover ( Trifolium repens) with the former ; and red clover 

 (Trifolium pratense) with the latter grass. Both fields were open 

 at the same time to sheep. The stock gave a decided preference to 

 the meadow foxtail.” — “ We saw,” says Mr. Sinclair, “ this 

 trial conducted on a large scale, and with every impartiality, by 

 Mr. Grant, and the conclusions agreed with the results of our own 

 trials — that the sweet-scented vernal is a useful ingredient in pas- 

 tures on a deep moist soil, but is unfit to be cultivated by itself.” 



