38 l O L 
Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and 
Commerce. See the article Grass, vol. viii. p. 796, 2 , 9. 
and Plate II. fig. 9. 
z. Lolium tenue, orfmall darneh fpikeawnlefs, round; 
fpikelets three-flowered. Thisis fmaller than the preceding. 
It is diltinguithed by the tenuity of the culm and fpike; 
which lad is cylindrical and awnlefs; the fpikelets are 
three-flowered. It is generally looked upon to be no more 
than a ftarved variety of L. perenne. Native of France 
and Germany. 
3. Lolium temulentum, annual darnel, or bearded ray- 
grafs: fpike awned ; fpikelets comprelfed, many-flowered. 
Root annual. Stems or culms from two to three feet in 
height, upright, round, efpecially near the fpike, rough 
when ftroked upwards, having three, four, or five, joints. 
Leaves flat, pointed, from nine inches to a foot or more 
in length, and three or four lines in breadth ; the upper 
furface rough when ftroked upwards, the lower fmooth. 
Annual darnel is a native of rnoft parts of Europe, Ja¬ 
pan, the Cape of Good Hope, See. Though there can be 
no doubt of its being a diftinft fpecies from the perennial 
darnel, yet we are at a lofs for fpecific diftinilions; for 
that has fometimes awns to the flowers, and this, not un- 
frequently, has none. This however is annual, taller and 
larger in every refpetf, and of a paler hue. Its place of 
growth is alfo different; for it is a weed among corn, ef- 
peeially wheat and barley, and alfo among flax. It flow¬ 
ers in July and Auguft, later than L. perenne. 
The flour of the feeds, mixed with wheat-flour, produces 
diforders in the human body, as vomiting, purging, and 
violent cholics ; but it has not a fenfible effect, unlefs taken 
in confiderable quantity, or, according to Linnseus, un¬ 
lefs it be eaten hot. The feed, malted with barley, foon 
occafions drunkennefs; hence (fome fay) the French name 
iuraie, and by corruption our Englilh ray. In Yorkfhire 
it is called droke ; and in Ireland , Jlurdy. In Germany, 
Jakrige lolch, germainc latch, fomme lolch, See. in Denmark, 
/icyre, heyregras, fwingel, dude ; in Sweden, darrepe ; in 
Italy, loglio, gioglio, zizania ; in Spain, joyo, cizana, zizana ; 
in Portugal, zizania bajlarda ; in Ruffia, kuhol. 
Ovid unites it with tribulus, infefting wheat: 
Lolium tribulique fatigant 
Triticeas mefles inexpugnabile gramen. Met. 1 . 5. 
Virgil joins it with the wild oat, as a weed among crops 
in general: 
Interque nitentia culta 
hxfelix lolium & fteriles dominantur avenae. Georg, i. 153. 
The epithet infelix is probably given it not only from its 
deleterious qualities, and as being a weed amongft corn, 
but probably alluding to an idea, long prevalent, that corn 
was transformed into it. This opinion of the change of 
one kind of gramineous plant into another, as wheat into 
rye, rye into barley, barley into darnel, darnel into brome- 
grafs ; and of the latter, by becoming oats or rye, in a fer¬ 
tile foil, returning again toa more improved ftate—all this, 
however abfurd, was fo generally believed, that Linnanis 
thought proper to write a differtation againft it. See 
Tran)mulatto Frumentorum, Amoen. Acad. v. 5. 106. The 
fact is, that in very wet feafons, and among very bad huf- 
bandmeh, darnel has fo far prevailed as to fuifocate the 
wheat, and to take its place. 
There is a variety of this without awns, and with a 
fmooth culm, which Withering makes a diftinCt fpecies, 
under the name of L. arvenfe, or white darnel. 
4. Lolium bromoides, or fea-darnel: panicle Ample, 
pointing one way; fpikelets awned. Root annual. Culms 
feveral, fi;om fix inches to a foot in height, oblique, 
pound, fmooth, fomewhat branched. Native of England, 
on the fea-coaft, in loofe fand ; flowering in May and June. 
5. Lolium diltachyon, or doubie-fpiked Indian darnel: 
fpikes in pairs, calyxes one-flowered, corollas woolly. 
Culms decumbent, branched at the bafe; the flowering 
ones rifing a foot high, filiform, narrow, even. Native 
#f Malabar. Qbferved by K tv nig. , 
U M. 
Propagation and Culture. Ray-grafs is ufually fovvh with 
clover, upon luch lands as are defigned to be ploughed 
again in a few years; and the common method is to fow 
it with fpring-corn ; but from many repeated trials, it 
has been found, that by fowing thefe feeds in Auguft, 
when there has happened a few (howers to bring up the 
grafs, that the crop has anfwered much better than any 
which has been fown in the common way; for the graft 
has often been fo rank, as to afford a good feed the fame 
autumn; and the following fpring there has been a ton and 
a half of hay per acre mowed very early in the feafon ; and 
this has been upon cold four land; fo that this feems to 
be the belt feafon for fowing thefe grafles, though it will be 
very difficult to perfuade thofe perfons to alter their prac¬ 
tice, who have been long wedded to old culfoms. The 
quantity of feed to an acre is about two bufhels, and 
eight pounds of the common clover, which, together, will 
make as good plants upon the ground as can be defired; 
but this is not to be prattifed upon lands where the beauty 
of the verdure is principally regarded, but is fit only for 
thofe who have profit in view. When this grafs is fed, 
mow off the bents in the beginning of June, otherwife 
they will dry upon the ground, and have the appearance 
of a ftubble-field all the latter part of fummer; and will 
not only be difagreeable to the fight, but troublefome 
to the cattle, who will not touch them. By permitting 
them to Hand, the after-growth of the grafs is greatly re¬ 
tarded, and the beautiful verdure loft for three or four 
months, fo that it is good hufbandry to mow the bents 
before they grow too dry, and rake them oft' the ground ; 
if they are then made into hay, it will ferve for cart-horfes 
or dry cows in winter. 
Dr. Anderfon affirms, that ray-grafs requires a deep 
open loofe deafiih foil, tending to dampnefs, to bring 
it to full perfection. On a foil of this fort he has mea- 
fured feveral ftalks above fix feet in length. He oblerves 
that foot, which does not promote the growth of clover, 
has a furprifing effect upon that of ray-grafs. Mr. Kent 
fays, that ray-grafs is fown with clover at the rate of a 
quarter of a peck to an acre, or by itfelf at the rate of two 
pecks to an acre, or in the proportion of a gallon to aa 
acre, with eight pounds of clean trefoil; that all cattle 
are particularly fond of it in the fpring, but towards mid- 
fummer the ftalks become dry, and cattle then refufe 
them; that therefore this grafs fhouid be kept down by 
being conftantly fed. YVhen niixed with ciover and 
mowed for hay, it may however be fpring fed, and is even 
the better for it, becaufe it would otherwife be ripe before 
the clover. When fown with clover, its greateft advan¬ 
tage is experienced in the ftcond and third years; for, as^ 
the clover declines, this increafes in proportion. When 
mixed with trefoil, it is a very good grafs upon light land, 
defigned to continue feveral years in fheep-pafture. 
In Norfolk, the fecond year’s lay of ray-grafs and clover 
is invariably paftured ; the fpring-flioot being ufually ex¬ 
pended in finifiiing or topping-up turnip-fed bullocks ; for 
which purpofe no vegetable is pe-rhaps fuperiorto ray-grafs. 
Store-cattle follow the bullocks, and keep pofleflion of the 
lays till they are broken up for wheat, in July, Auguft, 
September, or October. Next to faintfoin, ray-grafs is in 
the higheft elteem with the Cotlwold farmers. Not only 
the green herbage, but the hay, is there confidered as fu- 
periorly nutritious. Bullocks are finiflied with ordinary 
barley and ray-grafs hay ; that is, not with the ftraw of ray- 
grafs, but with the herbage cut in a ftate of fucculency, and 
properly made. If fuffered to Hand too long before it be 
mown, the hay will of courfe be ordinary. If fuffered to 
run up in the fpring before ltockbe turned upon it, much 
of it will be left uneaten. If the feed fown be foul, the 
herbage will be of a bad quality. Under bad management 
the fucceeding wheat-crop will be unprofitable. The feed 
fhouid be winnowed, and freed from the feeds of weeds,.^ 
as carefully as the feed of wheat or other grain. 
If ray-grafs be intended for pafturage, it ought to be 
broken as early in fpring as the land will bear ftock, which 
' ought;. 
