AGROSTIS. 
the surface of the ground, and permitting nothing 
but its roots to escape; and the plant is propa- 
gated by the parting and transplanting of its 
roots late in autumn or early in spring. This 
species, when in flower, and when grown upon a 
strong clayey loam, yields per acre 28,586; lbs. 
of green produce, 11,434 Ibs. of dry produce, and 
893+ lbs. of nutritious matter ; so that, excepting 
some species of Agrostis stolonifera, it is the rich- 
est in nutritious properties of all the benis. 
Agrostis canina mutica, awnless brown bent or 
creeping-stalked brown bent—called by some 
botanists Trichodium caninum muticum—has a 
strongly aquatic habit, abounds more than any 
other grass on deep bogs, and may often be seen 
in luxuriance on such boggy grounds as are under 
water during six months in the year. It is a 
small plant, seldom having leaves of more than 
three inches in length; it produces too little her- 
bage, and possesses too little nutritious matter, to 
be ever deserving of cultivation ; and it is of use 
to the farmer principally in indicating to him 
that the soil on which it grows is capable of being 
converted into rich meadow by irrigation: It 
closely resembles Agrostis nivea in general struc- 
ture; and principally differs from it in the want 
of awns and in the length of the culms. It re- 
sembles Agrostis canina fascicularis in having 
knots or bundles of leaves attached to its decum- 
bent shoots. It flowers in the second and third 
weeks of July, and ripens about the middle of 
August ; and when growing on bog, it yields per 
acre when in flower 5,445 lbs. of green produce, 
1,4974 lbs. of dry produce, and 149 lbs. of nutri- 
tious matter,—and when in seed 6,125? lbs. of 
green produce, 2,603% lbs. of dry produce, and 
2394 lbs. of nutritious matter. 
Agrostis canina fascicularis, tufted bent or 
bundle-leaved bent, abounds on poor, light, moist 
soils, which lie on a retentive subsoil, and have 
long been under pasture; and, in common with 
the woolly soft grass, it is, in some districts, 
popularly designated winter fog. Tufts or bundles 
of leaves rise from its shoots in autumn, and run 
along the surface of the other herbage; and this 
phenomenon gives the variety its name of aser- 
cularis, constitutes the distinguishing feature of 
that variety, and is caused by the cattle leaving 
scattered roots of this plant untouched when 
they are eating the accompanying grasses. This 
plant is the least valffable of all the bents, and 
totally unworthy of cultivation ; and the chief 
care which it gives the farmer—and that no mean 
one—is how he may best root it out or choke it. 
It flowers in the first and second weeks of August, 
and ripens in the end of the same month; and 
when growing upon sandy soil, it yields per acre 
when in flower 2,722% lbs. of green produce, 6804 
Ibs. of dry produce, and 85 lbs. of nutritious 
matter. 
Agrostis canina capillaris or fine-panicled brown 
bent, grows wild in isolated patches on moors and 
heath-producing grounds; and is occasionally 
95 
found in portions of pasture lands which have a 
siliceous soil; but it seldom occurs in commixture 
with any other species of grass. It possesses a close 
resemblance to Agrostis canina fascicularis. It 
flowers about the beginning of August, and ripens 
about the end of that month; and when in flower, 
and growing upon sandy loam, it yields per acre 
4,7644 lbs. of green produce, 1,310} lbs. of dry 
produce, and 149 lbs. of nutritious matter. 
Agrostis stolonifera aristata or awned creeping 
bent, abounds in bogs, occasionally grows in mix- 
ture with other grasses in pastures, and has a 
strongly stoloniterous habit. It iseaten by cattle 
in common with the meadow fox-tail grass and 
the rough-stalked meadow grass ; and it produces 
a much greater amount of nutritious matter than 
several of the species of bent which we have 
noticed; but it is very far inferior in value to 
fiorin, and, if carelessly taken as a fair specimen 
of the varieties of Agrostis stolonifera, is fitted to 
bring them into great comparative discredit. It 
flowers about the third or fourth week of July, 
and ripens about the second or third week of 
August, and when grown upon bog, it yields per 
acre when ripe 8,848 lbs. of green produce, 4,2102 
Ibs. of dry produce, and 3685 lbs. of nutritious 
matter,—and in the month of December 10,2094 
lbs. of green produce, 4,594 Ibs. of dry produce, 
and 4383 lbs. of nutritious matter. 
Agrostis stolonifera angustifolia or narrow-leaved 
creeping bent, is the most common variety of | 
stoloniferous bent in moist woods, and on cold, 
retentive, clayey soils. It produces a greater 
amount of nutritious matter than any other bent | 
except fiorin ; yet it does not appear to be relished 
by cattle, but, on the contrary, is totally neglected 
by them as long as they can obtain any of the 
better pasture grasses. It flowers in the second 
and third weeks of July, and ripens about the 
end of August; and when grown on bogs, it | 
yields per acre when ripe 16,335 lbs. of green 
produce, 7,350# lbs. of dry produce, and 7652 lbs. 
of nutritious matter,—and in the month of De- 
cember 17,015 lbs. of green produce, 8,5074 lbs. of 
dry produce, and 9304 lbs. of nutritious matter. 
Agrostis stolonifera latifolia, fiorin or broad- 
leaved creeping bent, is the grand topic of in- 
terest and controversy on the subject of the genus 
agrostis, and has been eulogized by some parties 
as the most valuable of all the pasture grasses, 
and contemned by others as one of a series of 
worthless and annoying weeds, But this variety 
of Agrostis stolonifera, while it is the only true 
fiorin, and constitutes the only grass referred to 
by the extreme eulogists of Agrostis stolonifera, 
has a close resemblance to Agrostis stolonifera 
aristata, to Agrostis stolonifera angustifolia, and to 
two other and more obscure varieties of Agrostis 
stolonifera, called respectively sylvatica and palus- 
tris; and, at the same time, it is scarce while 
they are plenty,—it occurs in comparatively rare 
and isolated situations, while they are exten- 
sively diffused,—it seems to be naturally peculiar 
