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296 
skinned white varieties constitute much the 
largest and most important division, and nearly 
correspond to the Avena leucosperma of botanists ; 
the large thick-skinned white varieties amount 
to only five or six, and have been called by some 
botanists Avena Georgica; and the dark-coloured 
varieties amount to only six or seven, and have 
been called by some botanists Avena cinerea. But 
we reserve all practical notice of this great sub- 
ject for the article Oars. 
The yellow-r golden oat-grass, A vena flavescens, 
now called 7risetum flavescens, is a perennial weed 
of Great Britain, growing to the height of about 
18 inches; and, if attempted to be cultivated by 
itself, it will not thrive; yet it prospers, and is 
well worthy of cultivation, in mixture with some 
other grasses for either hay or pasture; it is the 
most useful of all the oat-grasses for forage; it 
arrives early at maturity, and yields a consider- 
able bulk of fine herbage ; and it has the smallest 
seed of all the oat-grasses which are indigenous 
in Britain. The grasses with which it suits best 
to be combined are Cynosurus cristatus, Anthox- 
anthum odoratum, and Hordeum pratense. It oc- 
curs in the richest natural pastures, and is found 
wild in almost every kind of meadow; but it 
thrives best, as an artificial grass, on dry cal- 
careous soil. It is peculiarly suitable to lofty 
and exposed situations; for it prospers on them 
better than most other grasses, and is quite as 
readily devoured by sheep. It contains in its 
nutritive elements a larger proportion of bitter 
extractive than occurs in the nutritive elements 
of the grasses with which it is usually combined ; 
and, on that account, is an important ingredient 
in the herbage of rich pasture land. Though a 
perennial grass, it speedily dies out if allowed to 
bear seed. It usually flowers in the first and 
second weeks of July, and ripens its seed in the 
beginning of August. When grown upon clayey 
loam, it yields per acre, when in flower, 8,1674 
Ibs. of green produce, 2,858% lbs. of dry produce, 
and 478% lbs. of nutritive matter,—when its seed 
Is ripe, 12,251} lbs. of green produce, 4,9003 lbs. 
of dry produce, and 4302 lbs, of nutritive matter, 
—and when in aftergrass, 4,0832 lbs. of green 
produce, and 792 lbs. of nutritive matter. 
The meadow oat-grass, Avena pratensis, 1s a 
perennial native of the pastures and meadows of 
Great Britain, and usually grows to the height 
of about a foot; but it is much less common 
than either the yellow oat-grass or the downy oat- 
grass. It occurs on a greater variety of soils 
than most other kinds of grasses,—on dry heaths, 
in moist meadows, on sandy loams, and in chalky 
fields ; but is most frequent and abundant on the 
last of these kinds of soils. It thrives under irri- 
gation, and exhibits a greener and more healthy- 
looking foliage on meadows than on dry elevated 
soils; yet it yields quite or very nearly as great 
a produce on these soils as on an irrigated mea- 
dow. Its nutritive elements contain a smaller 
proportion of extractive and saline matters than 
AVENA. 
those of the other herbage species of oat-grass ; 
and its aggregate character, habits, and produce 
assign to it a lower place in the scale of economi- 
cal value than belongs to either the yellow oat- 
grass or the downy oat-grass. It flowers in July, 
and ripens its seed in August. When grown 
upon sandy loam, it yields per acre, when in 
flower, 6,806} lbs. of green produce, 1,871? lbs. 
of dry produce, and 239+ lbs. of nutritive matter ; 
and when its seeds are ripe, 9,528? lbs. of green 
produce, 2,858? lbs. of dry produce, and 149 lbs. 
of nutritive matter. 
The downy oat-grass, Avena pubescens, now 
called Trisetum pubescens, is a perennial native 
of the chalky pastures of England, and naturally 
grows to the height of about eighteen inches. 
But it deserves the attention of the farmer on 
account of its hardiness, and of its being but a 
slight impoverisher of the soil; and when it 
is cultivated as an artificial grass, in tolerably 
rich soils, it attains a greater height than when 
growing wild, and loses the downy hairs which 
cover its leaves when growing upon poor, dry, 
chalky grounds. After its first flowering culms 
are cropped, it does not send forth any more, and, 
on this account, is well suited for permanent pas- 
ture on such dry soils as are easily impoverished. 
But its nutritive elements contain a greater pro- 
portion of bitter extractive than those of other 
grasses which are suited to such soils; and, for 
this reason, it ought not to be a large ingredient 
in any mixture of grasses for permanent pasture 
on these soils. It flowers in the second or third 
week of June, and ripens its seed about the be- | 
ginning or middle of July. When grown upon 
sandy loam, it yields per acre, when in flower, | 
15,6544 lbs. of green produce, 5,870; lbs. of dry 
produce, and 367 lbs. of nutritive matter; and 
when its seeds are ripe, 6,806} lbs. of green pro- | 
duce, 1,361+4 lbs. of dry produce, and 2123 lbs. of | 
nutritive matter. 
The tall oat-grass, Avena elatior, also called — 
Holcus avenaceuvs, and now fixed in the newest | 
systematic botany as Arrhenatherum avenaceum, 
is a perennial native of the meadows and pastures | 
of Great Britain, and usually grows to the height 
of about five feet; and though a coarse plant, it 
vegetates with luxuriance, and has been per- | 
mitted a place among the agricultural grasses. | 
Yet it contains but a comparatively small portion 
of nutritive matter; and is ill relished by cattle, 
and much disliked by horses.—The barren, fly, or 
animated oat, Avena sterilis, is an annual grass, and 
was introduced to Great Britain from Barbary in | 
1640. It is interesting chiefly as a curiosity ; its 
ripe seeds having a form somewhat like a fly, 
and being so exceedingly mobile as to seem at a 
little distance as if animated—tThe alpine oat- | 
grass, Avena alpina, or Avena planiculmis, now 
called Trisetun alpinum, grows wild on the Scot- 
tish mountains, is a perennial grass, and has a 
height of about 18 inches.—The insipid oat-grass, 
Avena fatua, is an annual’ weed of the corn-fields 
MMT | ; 
