858 
soft and succulent; in May, however, when the flower- 
stalks make their appearance, it is subject to the disease 
termed rust, which affects the whole plant ; the conse- 
quence of which is manifest in the great deficiency of pro- 
duce in the crop at the time the seed is ripe, being one-half 
less than at the time of the flowering of the grass. Though 
this disease begins in the straws, the leaves suffer most from 
its effects, being at the time the seed is ripe completely dried 
up : the straws, therefore, constitute the principal part of 
the crop for mowing, and they contain more nutritive mat- 
ter in proportion than the leaves. This grass is evidently 
most valuable for permanent pasture, for which, in conse- 
quence of its superior, rapid, and early growth, and the 
disease beginning at the straws, nature seems to have de- 
signed it. The grasses which approach nearest to this 
in respect of early produce of leaves, are the Poa fertilise 
Dactylis glomerata , Phleum pratense , Alopecurus pratensis , 
Avena eliator , and Bromus littoreus , all grasses of a coarser 
kind. 
XXII. Avena eliator . Curtis, 112. Engl. Bot. 813. — 
Holcus avenaceus. 
Tall oat-grass. Nat. of Britain. 
At the time the seed is ripe, the produce is 
or lbs. per acre. 
Grass, 24 oz. The produce per acre - - 261360 0 = 16335 0 0 
80 dr. of grass weigh when dry - 28 dr. 1 
The produce of the space, ditto - 134. If J 
The weight lost by the produce of one acre in drying - 
64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 1 dr. ) __ _ 
The produce of the space, ditto 6 j ~ 
The produce of latter-math is 
91475 14 = 5717 3 14 
10617 12 2 
255 3 12 
Grass, 20 oz. The produce per acre - - 217800 0 = 13612 8 0 
64 dr. of grass afford of nutritive matter 1.1 dr. 4253 14 = 265 13 14 
The weight of nutritive matter which is afforded by the crop 
of the latter-math, exceeding that afforded by the grass of 
the seed crop in proportion nearly as 26 to 25 - - - 1 0 9 2 
This grass sends forth flower- straws during the whole 
season : the latter-math contains nearly an equal number 
with the flowering crop. It is subject to the rust, but the 
disease does not make its appearance till after the period 
of flowering : it affects the whole plant, and at the time the 
seed is ripe the leaves and straws are withered and dry. 
This accounts for the superior value of the latter-math 
