225 
H O L 
which are wrapped round with the chaff. They are both 
natives of India, where this grain is much ufed to feed 
poultry, and is frequently fent to Europe for the feme 
purpofe. This is much cultivated in Arabia, and molt 
parts of Afia Minor. It has been introduced into Italy, 
"Spain, Svvifferland, and fome parts of Germany ; alfo into 
China, Cochin-china, and the Weft Indies, where it grows 
commonly five or fix feet high, or more, and, being 
eiteemed a hearty food for labotirers, is called negro guinea- 
corn. Its long awns or bridles defend it from the birds. 
In England, the autumns are feldom dry and warm enough 
to ripen the leed well in the field. In Arabia it is called 
dora or durra ; the flour is very white, and they make good 
bread of it, or rather cakes, about two inches in thicknefs. 
The bread which they make of it in fome parts of Italy is 
dark and coarfe. In Tufcany it is ufed chiefly for feed¬ 
ing poultry and pigeons; l’ometimes for fwine, kine, and 
horfes. Caefalpinus fays, that cattle fed on the green 
herb are apt to lwell and die, but thrive on it when dried. 
They make brufhes of it in Italy, which Ray obferved in 
the lhops at Venice. It was cultivated here in 1396, in 
John Gerarde’s garden. 
4. Holcus halepenfis, orpanicled holcus: glumes fmooth, 
hermaphrodite, flowers awnlefs ; female awned. Native 
of Syria. Cultivated at Oxford in 1699 by Jacob Bobart, 
from feed fent over by Huntington. Scheuchzer had his 
fpecimens from Triumfetti and Juflieu, and gives a very 
long defcription. Scopoli refers to Scheuchzer’s name, and 
defcribes it as an Andropogon. Allioni adopts Scopoli’s 
name, and fays that it is wild near Turin, and in other 
parts of Piedmont and Montlerrat. 
5. Holcus nitidus, or neat holcus: glumes one-flowered 
villofe, all the flowers awnlefs. Native of the Eaft Indies, 
and has the habit of the preceding, but is fmaller in all 
its parts. 
6. Holcus faccharatus, or yellow-feeded holcus ; glumes 
villofe, all the feeds awned. Native of the Eaft Indies. 
Cultivated in China and Cochin-china. Browne calls it 
guinea-wheat , and fays it had been lately introduced into 
Jamaica. 
7. Holcus mbllis, foft holcus, or creeping foft-grafs : 
glumes two-flowered, almoft naked ; hermaphrodite, floret 
awnlefs; male with a knee-jointed awn. Creeping foft-grals 
refembles the next fpecies, fays Linnaeus, but the calyxes 
are more acute than in the other fpecies, and rather acu¬ 
minate. According to Schreber, the roots are creeping, 
like Triticum repens, or couch-grafs. Both flowers are 
hermaphrodite, contrary to Linnaeus’s fpecific character, 
and both apparently produce fertile feeds. This grafs alfo 
rarely occurs but in and about woods and in hedges; whereas 
the lanatus is a veiy general grafs in meadows. Ray af¬ 
firms that it is very common in corn-fields ; but Mr. Cur¬ 
tis fays that he has feldom feen it in that fituation. It 
flowers in July, and is a worfe grafs than the lanatus, on 
account of its creeping roots. Haller makes it an Avena, 
to which genus, in the opinion of Dr. Stokes, its ftruc- 
ture (hows it really to belong. Schreber, in Ids Spicilegium, 
makes it an Aira, to which Mr. Curtis alfo would refer it. 
8. Holcus lanatus, woolly holcus, or meadow foft-grafs : 
glumes two-flowered, villofe ; hermaphrodite, floret awn¬ 
lefs ; male with a recurved awn. Root perennial, but not 
creeping. Stems from two to three feet high, upright, 
round, pubefeent, with three or four joints. Leaves a 
quarter of an inch in breadth, greyilh from being covered 
with foft hairs; the (heath marked on the outiide with 
purple lines, and ftiining within; the ligule or membrane 
blunt or truncate, hairy on the outiide and about the edge. 
Panicle at firft contracted, reddifti, and drooping a little; 
but afterwards upright, fpreading, and whitifh. The vel¬ 
vet-like foftnefs of the whole plant, and the rednels of the 
opening panicle, render this grafs very confpicuous. It 
abounds in meadows, is frequent by road-fides, and lome- 
times grows on walls. It flowers in June and July. Hal¬ 
ler (peaks highly of this grafs as food for cattle, but it is 
not at all eiteemed among us. The feed however, being 
Vol, X. No. 655. 
c u s. 
eafily collected, is fometimes fent to London in great quan¬ 
tities, as pure grafs-feed. Lightfoot fays that the (talks 
are ufed for making ropes for fifliing-boats in the ifle of 
Skye ; but there are better grades for this purpofe, 
A gentleman’s horfes having been much disordered with 
a malady, which occafioned an extraordinary difeharge of 
urine, the hay on which they fed, being examined, was 
found to contain fcarcely any other grafs hut this ; and on 
changing the hay the diftemper cealed. This fade ought 
to be well afeertained, before the Hcdcus lanatus is recom¬ 
mended, with Dr. Anderfon, as one of the moft valuable 
kinds of meadow-graffes ; though fmee he calls it creeping 
flft-grafs, and talks of its running roots, he may mean H. 
mollis, which is one of the vileft weeds, at leaft in arable 
lands. Mr. Marfliall, in his Rural Economy of Yorkfhire, 
fays that it is far from an eligible grafs for cultivation, is 
now entirely exploded by judicious hufbandmen, and has 
been fupplanted by ray-grafs ; the growers of the (feeds 
being the only perfons who have profited by its cultiva¬ 
tion, eighty bufliels having been produced from an acre. 
It goes there under the name of white hay-feeds. In his 
Minutes of the Midland Counties, he fays it ranks high 
as a pafture-plant, for cattle at leaft ; that a piece which 
abounds in it to one half is eiteemed excellent for cheefe; 
is favourable to the growing of young heifers, and the 
fatting of Scotch bullocks; and that cattle of every kind 
do well in it, but not horfes. 
9. Holcus laxus, or weak holcus ; glumes two-flowered, 
fmooth, awnlefs, acuminate; panicle Aliform, weak. This 
has the habit of Aira. Native of Virginia and Canada. 
10. Holcus ftriatus, or ltriated holcus : glumes two- 
flowered, ftriated, awnlefs, acuminate ; panicle crowded, 
oblong. Native of Virginia, in marfhes. 
11. Holcus lerratus, or ferrate holcus: glumes two- 
flowered, pubefeent, awnlefs ; leaves ferrate. Found at 
the Cape of Good Hope by Thunberg : who has alfo dis¬ 
covered feveral other fpecies, not here enumerated. 
12. Holcus odoratus, or fweet-feented holcus : glumes 
three-flowered, awnlefs, acuminate ; hermaphrodite, flower 
two-ftamened. Native of wet paftures in the colder parts 
of Europe, Canada, and Siberia. This grafs has a fweet 
fmell: it is collected into bundles, to lay among linen ; 
and is hung over beds in fome countries, with a view to 
procure fieep. 
13. Holcus redolens, or fweet holcus: glumes three- 
flowered; lide-florets, male awned, hairy at the edge; the 
middle one fubhermaphrodite, awnlefs. In appearance 
quite fimilar to the preceding, but differing in its involuted 
leaves, and florets of double the lize. Native of Terra 
del Fuego and of New Zealand. 
14. Holcus latifolius, or broad-leaved holcus : glumes 
three-flowered, the firft floret unarmed, two prickly at the 
edge, leaves fubovate. Found in China by O (beck. 
1 5. Holcus pertufus, or perforated holcus : fpikes di¬ 
gitate, glumes with the outer valve punched with a hole 
in the middle. Native of the EaftTndies. 
16. Guinea-grafs. —Guinea-grafs, fo called from its hav¬ 
ing been originally introduced into the Weft Indies from 
the coaft of Africa, is a fpecies of Holcus, according to 
Browne. The charaffers of it, he fays, agree pretty well 
with thofe of Panicum, in general, but the flowers com¬ 
monly grow very luxuriant; and, though often herma¬ 
phrodite, are generally obferved to be male and female 
diitinft, furrounded by feparate involucres, and (landing- 
on diftinft pedicels within the fame calyx. The blades 
of this grafs, when flourifhing, appear not unlike thofe of 
wheat, only rather broader and longer; and the ftalks, 
during the firft growth, are alfo much like thofe of wheat, 
but they get weaker and lefs, the oftener the grafs is fed 
upon or cut, till at laft it becomes a fine, rich, and entire, 
fwath., Guinea-grafs appears capable of thriving in any 
fituation, in refpefet to climate and foil, and can bear the 
eftefets of dry or wet weather in a moft remarkable man¬ 
ner. In wet weather it may be cut once in a fortnight, 
and fometimes oftener, when the land is new or fertile. 
3 M In 
