'197 
GRASS. 
9. Bromus mollis, or foft brcme grafs: as an early 
grafs it might perhaps be cultivated to advantage ; but 
with other graifes it (beds the feeds and withers, before 
the whole is ready for mowing. 
10. Cynofurus cteruleus, or blue dog’s-tail grafs, is 
the earlielt of all our graifes, but not produdtive, or of 
a good quality. 
11. Dadfylis glomerafus, or rough cock’s-foot grafs, 
is a rough coarfe gral’s, extremely hardy and produc¬ 
tive, common-in orchards and meadows, and rather early. 
12. Fefluca ovina, or Iheep’s fefeue grafs; native of 
dry elevated heaths and commons; a fmall plant even 
in a rich foil. 
13. Hordeum murinum, wall barley grafs, or fquirrel- 
tail grafs. Common by walls and the fide of paths. 
Among hay very injurious to horfes, by the awns or 
beards of the ears flicking in their throats. 
14. Hordeum pratenfe, or meadow barley grafs ; taller 
and more delicate ; i'ometimes forming great part of 
the crop in good meadows ; neither early nor very pro- 
duftive : it may pollibly have the fame bad quality as 
the foregoing. 
15. Holcus lanatus, or meadow foft grafs. Hardy 
and produdfive; flowering a month later than the An- 
thoxanthum; foliage foft and woolly. 
16. Holcus mollis, or creeping foft grafs. Grows 
well in fandy foils, and bears drought. 
17. Lolium perenne, or ray grafs; wiry with little 
foliage in upland paflures ; but in rich meadows its fo-*' 
liage is abundant and of rapid growth. 
18. Poa annua, or dwarf meadow'grafs ; perpetually 
flowering and feeding mofl rapidly, unlefs prevented 
by cold; growing in almofl: any foil and (ituation, but 
never acquiring any great height; its foliage is tender 
and grateful to cattle, but liable to be killed by win¬ 
ter’s froft and fummer’s drought. 
19. Phleum pratenfe, or meadow' cat’s-tail grafs ; in 
wet lituations very produdtive, but coarfe and late; it 
has no excellence which Alopecurus pratenfis does not 
polfefs in an equal or fuperior degree. 
20. Triticum repens, creeping wheat grafs, quick, 
quich or couch grafs. Too well known to farmers and 
gardeners as a mofl troublcfome and unprofitable grafs, 
though its foliage is early.- 
From the preceding lifls. Dr. Dickfon, in his “ Syf- 
tem of Modern Hufbandry,” publilhed in 1805,—(a 
work of abundant information, highly deferving the at¬ 
tention of every agriculturifl,) has feledted the follow¬ 
ing as the mofl ufeful and beneficial to the generality of 
farmers and graziers, viz. the Sw'eet-fcented Vernal 
Grafs; Meadow Fox-tail Grafs; Smooth-flalked Mea¬ 
dow Grafs ; Rough-flalked Meadow Grals; Meadow 
Fefeue Grafs; Sheep’s Fefeue Grafs; Hard Fefeue 
Gral's ; Crefled Dog’s-tail Grafs ; Ray or Rye Grals ; 
A'leadow Soft Grals, or Yorkfliire White; Rough 
Cock’s-foot Grafs; Tall Oat Grafs; Meadow Cat’s- 
tail or Timothy Grafs; the valuable artificial graifes. 
SwEET-SCLNTED VeRNAL GrASS. 
This grafs comes early into bloflTom, and is of courfe 
valuable as fpring grafs, and alfo for its readinefs to 
grow in mofl kinds of foil and fituation, being found in 
bogs, in woods of low grow'th, or which have liad tiie 
underwood removed, in water meadows, and in dry 
paflures; but in point of crop it is not fo produefive as 
loine, yet more than fo others : cattle are very fond of 
it, and it is the only grals of tiiis climate which is 
ftrongly odoriferous ; the agreeable feent of new-made 
hay being produced almofl entirely by it ; and the green 
leaves, when bruiled, readily impart this odour to the 
fingers, by which means the foliage may conflantly be 
known ; and it may be readily diflinguiflied when in 
bloiTom, by its having only two threads or flamina to 
each flower. It thrives well even on poor fandy foils,— 
See Anthoxanthum odorattim. 
VoL. VIII. No. 545, 
Meadow Fox-tail Grass. 
This grafs fends forth its fpike almofl as foon, and in 
feme fituations full as early, as the Sweet.feented Ver¬ 
nal : confequently it is equally valuable as an early 
fpring grafs; and as it is larger and quicker in its 
growth, it is of courfe much, more productive: it flioots 
rapidly after mowing, producing a very plentiful after- 
math : and where the land is rich, and two crops are 
^not thought too much for it to bear, of all the grades 
of this climate it appears to be the mofl favourable for 
fuch a purpofe, and ought to form a princijial part of 
the crop in fuch cafes. Its foliage may Icem coarfe to 
fome; blit it mufl be kept in mind tliat no grafs can be 
productive that is not in fome degree coarfe. If it be 
mown early, jufl as it comes into bloom, though tlie 
leaves are large, the hay will not beco.irfe. in general, 
the great advantage proceeding from the earlinefs of 
thefe two graifes is entirely lofl in thofe diflriCts where 
hay-making begins at a late period, and where a crop of 
indiferiminate licrbage is waited for by the cultivator. 
It is in fome raeafure diftinguidied by the largenefs of 
its foliage, and by its producing a foft fpike on a long 
ftalk about the beginning of May. Tliis is fome objec¬ 
tion to it, as the feed cannot be always obtained in plen¬ 
ty. On a fituation where it w'as perfectly eflabliflied 
with thick herbage, it was found by Mr. Secretary 
Young to produce but few fecd-flems. 
In refpeCt to the places of its growth, it is more con¬ 
fined tiian the firfl fort, growing naturally in a moifl foil 
only ; on tliis account fome think it bell adapted for im¬ 
proving fuch wet grounds as may be newly drained, or for 
forming or meliorating meadows that have a moifl bottom, 
and are not apt to be burnt up in--dry fummer feafons. 
Others, however, fuppoie that tliere is fcarcely a better 
grafs for moifl loams and clays, as it is extremely early ; 
and abides nine or ten years on foils upon which the 
Meadow Fefeue gives way to thofe of otlier kinds. 11 has 
likewife by fome been found hardier againfl frofl and 
excelTive cold. Others fpeak of it as excellent, both 
for pafture and hay, as being highly productive, and the 
firfl as a dairy grafs. It has been obferved liiat if lown 
alone, and cut for liay, it dries in far lels time than molt 
other graifes, and requires to be ricked fooner, or its 
quality will be injured by too long expofure. The 
feeds are eafily collected, and by being fown before the 
roller in the fpring feafon, will greatly improve molt 
kinds' of meadow and paflure lands. See Alopecu¬ 
rus pratenfis. 
SmOOTH-STA LKED MEADOW GrASS. 
This grafs alfo begins to flioot and to alTume a beau¬ 
tiful verdure at an early period in the fpring; but the 
flowering Items are not produced fo foon, by a week at 
leaft, as thofe of the lafl : this flight difference, in point 
of earlinefs of flowering, does not, however, prevent it 
from being properly ranked with the two preceding 
graifes. Where early paflurage is the great objeCt of 
the cultivator, it cannot be better obtained than by a 
judicious combination of thefe three graifes. If quan¬ 
tity of crop be at the fame time in view, the Meadow 
F'ox-tail Grafs fhould predominate in a conliderable de¬ 
gree. It in fome meafure prefers a rather diy r: ; r. a 
moifl fituation, on which account it keeps its vei fure 
in long-continued dry feafons better than mofl o r 
forts; but it is capable of thriving well in either Ltj 
tion, though more luxuriantly in rich meadows, ii m 
conlidered as a highly valuable grafs, becaule all ani¬ 
mals are fond of it ; and it alfords fome of the belt hay, 
as well as the ricliefl paflurage. In addition to its 
other qualities, it has the property of abiding continu¬ 
ally in tlie fame ground, wiiile mofl other forts are lia¬ 
ble to change. It is readily diflinguiflied from f e 
Common Meadow Grafs, as it has a fniooth flaik, wliile 
the other has a rough one, which is percept ble wh>,ii 
drawn betwixt the tluimb and finger, and whicli pro- 
9 R ceecij 
