THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, May 26, 185T. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR, 
D 
M 
D 
W 
MAY 26—JUNE 1, 1857. 
Weather near Lon 
Barometer. jThermo. 
DON IN 
Wind. 
1856. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.&S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
af. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
26 
Tu 
Pellitory (Parietaria). 
29.887—29-777 
70—48 
S.W. 
02 
56 a. 3 
58 a. 7 
11 51 
3 
3 
15 
146 
27 
W 
King of Hanover b. 1819. 
29.801—29.626 
70-47 
• • 
63 
55 
59 
morn. 
4 
3 
9 
147 
28 
Tu 
Mistletoe (Viscum album). 
29.708—29.583 
69—40 
• • 
41 
54 
VIII 
0 20 
5 
3 
2 
148 
29 
F 
King Chas. II. Rest., ]660. 
30.005—29.853 
60—36 
N.W. 
— 
53 
1 
0 42 
6 
2 
54 
149 
30 
S 
Toadgrass (Buffonia). 
30.130—30.084 
57—41 
N.E. 
— 
52 
2 
0 56 
2 
46 
150 
31 
Sun 
Whit Sunday. 
29.880—29.700 
51—47 
N. 
22 
51 
3 
1 9 
8 
2 
38 
151 
1 
M 
Whit Monday. 
29 . 738 — 29.690 
56—33 
W. 
— 
50 
5 
1 19 
9 
2 
29 
152 
Meteorology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 67 .1°, and 44.9°, respectively. The greatest heat, 86 °, occurred on the29th, in 1847 ; and the lowest cold, 29°, 
on the 25th, in 1849* During the period 110 days were fine, and on 86 rain fell. 
USEFUL GARDEN GRASSES. 
CYNOSU'RUS CRISTA'TUS. 
(Crested Dog’s-tail.) 
This is a perennial Grass, and must be one of the most 
useful of plants, for it is one of the most widely diffused, 
and it is gifted with more than ordinary powers to 
secure its propagation. Its stems, or culms, are so wiry 
j and hard that the cow and the sheep abstain from biting 
I them ; consequently no grass has its seed so unfailingly 
I ripened. Also, when it is growing under trees, so that 
I there a sufficiency of heat and light does not reach 
i the plant so as to enable it to ripen its seed, then it 
becomes viviparous; that is, it bears offsets instead of 
seeds. 
The roots are tufted, with long, unbranched fibres. 
Stems several, varying in height from twelve to eighteen 
inches, unbranched, very stiff, hard, round, smooth, with 
three or four joints, most leafy in the lower part, re¬ 
maining brown, withered, and wiry with their dry, 
empty spikes through the latter part of summer. Leaves 
bright green, short, narrow, flat, smooth on both sides, 
edge scarcely rough, with long, smooth, streaked sheaths. 
Abrupt or ragged-ended and rather short stipules. The 
head, or spike of flowers, about two inches long, erect, 
stiff, straight and narrow, green, florets all turning to 
one side, sometimes purple, with a wavy, rough stalk 
(rachis). Floral leaves divided deeply into awl-shaped 
segments. Husks , or glumes, usually containing three 
florets. Smaller valve of the blossom ending in two 
points; larger valve ending in a short awn. Anthers 
prominent, pendulous, purple. Stigmas white, feathered. 
Seed longish, oval, pointed, reddish yellow, covered with 
the valves of the corolla. It belongs to Triandria 
Digynia of the Linnsean classification. 
This Grass, as previously stated, is an excellent lawn 
Grass, its herbage being fine, good-coloured, lasting, and 
enduring drought well even on the driest soils. In 
some places it is called Bent Grass , and in Scotland 
Windlestraw Grass , both names alluding to its enduring 
flower-stems. These stems yield a material for the ma¬ 
nufacture of Leghorn bonnets and hats, superior even 
to the straw from which they are made in Italy. The 
stems should be gathered whilst green, about the time 
of the flowers opening, as they are then tougher and 
more solid than when nearer to withering. The processes 
of splitting, scalding, and bleaching are now well under¬ 
stood. So great was the demand at one time for the 
“ English Leghorns,” that we knew of more than one 
village where the women and children found full work 
in preparing the plait, and in the Orkney Islands more 
than a thousand persons were similarly employed. We 
fear that the demand for this very elegant, durable, 
and native material has almost ceased. 
This is the Gramen cristatum, or Crested Grass, of 
Ray, Bauhin, and others of the old botanical writers. 
There can be no doubt but that the Horticultural 
Society has taken a step in the right direction, and that 
the principles upon which the Council seem to base 
their course are sound and correct. We never could see 
that it would be otherwise, and all the time that 
a contemporary was “ moving heaven and earth ” 
to swamp the Society, to throw discredit, in every 
No. CCCCLII. Vol. XVIII. 
