22 2 TRANSACTIONS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
Then there is the yellow oatgrass, Avena flavescens. This species 
IS not nearly so coarse as the taller sort and is truly fibrous, so that 
I am inclined to think it is the better grass of the two for agricultural 
purposes. It is not suited for growing on stiff clay or wet land, but 
does well on medium soils. 
I have tried to confine my remarks to grasses which are likely to 
interest the farmer or the ordinary observer, but the subject is too 
wide a one to be dealt with properly in a paper like the present. I 
should have liked to enter more fully into this subject and said some¬ 
thing about that other great family of forage plants, the Leguminosae 
or pod-bearers, which rank next to the grasses in value to the farmer, 
including as they do the clovers, vetches, peas, beans, lucerne, 
saintfoin, etc. ’ 
I will, however, just say a word or two about one of them_the 
kidney vetch, Anthyllis vulnerarta. Alost of us are acquainted with 
this plant as one of our common wild flowers, often found growing 
on dry, stony ground and brightening up the spot with its pretty 
yellow flovyers and silky seed pods. This plant, although much 
neglected in Scottish agriculture, is well worthy of attention, as its 
leaves are very nutritious and much liked by sheep and cattle! It is 
easily grown, and makes itself at home on the poorest and driest of 
soils. No doubt this is owing a good deal to its long tap root and 
the power it has, along with other members of the same family, of 
storing up nitrogen by the action of the curious-looking excrescences 
with which its roots are furnished. Sown in the permanent pasture, 
and perhaps more especially on dry, stony ground, it will be found a 
decided acquisition to our forage plants. 
Reading papers and giving descriptions of these plants is ail very 
pod in its way, but what is wanted is that the farmer should take an 
intelligent interest in the various grasses which compose his hay and 
pasture fields, so that he can analyse and tell the true value of his 
crop, and not take it for granted that because his pasture is green or 
his hay crop heavy that the nutritive value ranks accordingly, for this 
is by no means the case. Unfortunately this accomplishment, 
although a valuable one, is rather rare and confined principally to 
experts who make it their profession. It stands to reason that if the 
farmer wishes to get the full value of his land he must study the 
various problems of agricultural botany, so that he may be able to 
make a judicious selection of those plants most suited for any par¬ 
ticular soil. 
Keeping this in view, let him study the questions of how plants 
feed, what substances constitute their food, and how this food should 
be presented to them, so as to have the best results with the least 
amount of waste. 
