1236 
MESSRS. J. B. LAWES, J. H. GILBERT, AND M. T. MASTERS, 
Avena elatior. 
This tall-growing, tufted grass, has vertical, very deeply penetrating, fibrous, yellowish 
roots, densely covered with root-hairs, bat not so much branched as in the case of the 
Poas. From the lower part of the culm, stout fleshy adventitious roots are often 
emitted, which form a close mat near the surface. The culms are 2 to 4 feet in height, 
and bear abundant foliage. It begins to grow early, and flowers in June. 
The endowments favourable to the Avena elatior are its hardiness, its comparative 
indifference to the character of the soil, its particularly ample root growth, both deep 
and superficial, its strong tufted habit, and its early flowering tendency. 
Its degree of predominance is shown in Table XLI. 
Table XLI.—Relative predominance of Avena elatior. 
A vena 
elatior 
Was First, Second, or Third, 
among the total Grasses, as under. 
Yielded o per cent, and over, 
to the total Mixed Herbage, as under. 
1862. 
1867. 
1872. 
1877. 
1862. 
1867. 
1872. 
1877. 
re... 
3 
6-50 
9 . . . 
. . 
, * 
11-40 
13-23 
Plots - 
10 . . . 
3 
, . 
, . 
, . 
11-71 
13 22 
9-58 
n-i . . 
# * 
. . 
. , 
4 . 
10-41 
14-86 
11-2 . . 
3 
1 
6-40 
, , 
12 73 
21-14 
_13 ... . 
3 
9-17 
11-08 
f Eirst . 
0 
0 
0 
1 
j 
Total J 
Second 
0 
0 
0 
0 
} 1 
2 
5 
5 
I 
[ Third . . 
0 
2 
1 
1 
/ 
Thus, Avena elatior only once attained to the first place, and only in the fourth 
year of separation, or 22nd year of the experiments ; but then it did so on the most 
highly-manured plot of the series. In no case was it second; but on four occasions 
it took a third place on plots where there was liberal nitrogenous manuring, on two 
without, and on two with liberal mineral supply as well. 
It was only in the two later separation years that this grass yielded more than 5 per 
cent, of the produce on as many as five plots, each of which was highly manured with 
ammonia-salts, and in four of the cases in conjunction with liberal mineral manuring. 
In only one case, but then with the highest manuring, both nitrogenous and mineral, 
did it contribute more than 20 per cent, of the total produce. It is strikingly deficient 
on the nitrate of soda plots. On the whole it has rather gained ground on the high 
ammonia and mineral plots, where also its tufted habit has been observed to be most 
developed. 
