Name. 
History. 
Agricultural 
value. 
Geographical 
distribution. 
Habitat. 
Limits of 
altitude. 
Climate. 
Soil. 
Substances 
removed 
from the soil. 
Manure, 
40) 
often a very execrable weed. The short internodes at the base of each culm swell out, and become 
rows of tubers hence the name bulbous-rooted. The tubers in each row vary in number from 2 to 5. 
This is smaller than the cultivated variety; the leaves are also shorter, and of a lighter green colour, 
It is an error to suppose that on a light soil, the cultivated becomes the bulbous variety ; and, that 
on a stiff soil, the bulbous variety reverts to the normal type. Such a change does not occur, as the 
bulbous-rooted variety always reproduces itself when grown from seed. 
Various common names are applied to False oat-grass, e. g. Tall oat-grass, French rye-grass, etc. 
In Dauphiny and France it is called »Fromental«. 
Towards the beginning of last century, False oat-grass was cultivated in Dauphiny, in the neighbour- 
hood of Geneva, and here and there in canton Berne. Stapfer, in a memoir presented to the Agricultural 
Society of Berne in 1762, strongly recommended its cultivation. In 1790, Judtmann advocated its use 
for mixing with red clover, sainfoin, and lucerne. Later it became much over-estimated e. g. by Mauke. 
Hansen and Hannemann. The French, as Schwerz says elated it to the skies«. Soon, however, it 
became as much depreciated as it had formerly been over-estimated; Hector in his work on grasses 
does not even mention it. 
This is one of our best fodder grasses. It constitutes a good »top« grass and should 
never be absent from a mixture, unless when the ground is too moist. For mixing it 1s 
excellent, but for pasture it is not very suitable. 
Occurence, climate, soil, manure. This grass is indigenous — to Europe, extending to Southern 
Norway, Sweden and Finland; to Africa, in Algeria and Madeira; to Asia, in Caucasus, Georgia, Arme- 
nia and Talusche. It is neither indigenous to N. America nor Australia. Occurs throughout Great 
Britain, from Cornwall and Kent to Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides, from the coast level to 1300 
feet, in the Scottish Highlands, 
It occurs wild, in good meadows and pastures, in hedges, on the borders of woods and roads, in 
fields, etc. 
On the Bavarian Alps it ascends to 2,400 ft., on the Caucasus to 2,600 ft., in Talusche to 3,280 fb, 
and in Armenia to 5,250 ft. 
False oat-grass can succeed in dry ground, provided it is deep and not too stiff: the 
roots then penetrate to the deeper layers. Although it can withstand drought very well, 
still, when the soil is dry and poor, the plant becomes stunted and the yield is small. 
Too much moisture is destructive. 
It thrives best on moist loamy sands, on loams, on mild clays which are not too 
moist, and on marls, It can also be grown on some moorlands, but then it is often un- 
certain. 
According to Arendt’s experiments 1000 Ibs, of hay remove from the soil: — 
Nitrogen . . . . 48.4 Ibs. Lime. . .... “aatalbs, 
Phosphoric acid. . 5.0 _,, Silica... « \. 0 ORs 
9 
According to Wolff's analyses, 4000 lbs. of hay remove on an average, 17.8 lbs, of nitrogen ; 
according to the Zurich analyses, only 415.2 Ibs, 
A liberal supply of manure is very advantageous for this grass. Wollny applied 660 gals. of liquid 
manure per acre to a plot of False oat-grass; a similar plot was left without manure; the following 
resulis were obtained : — 
Green. Hay 
(containing 14 °/o water) 
1. Manured plot . . 16,4190 lbs. 3836 Ibs. 
2, Unmanured plot . 9,940 ,, 3170 , 
When manured with 660 gals. of liquid manure, an increase of 660' lbs. of hay per 
acre, was the result. Each gallon of liquid, therefore, gave an increase of 1 lb. of hay. 
