interior niehibranàcea, albida, biliheate, enervîa,
dorso canaliculatö, margine insigniter involute,
ad apicein ciliato-scabra.
Sqüamuiæ duæ, membranaceæ, albæ, oblong*, trifidæ,
segmentis inæqualibus, acutis.
Stamina tria ; Antheræ luteæ.
Germen ovato-globosum ; Stigmate plumosa.
before the apex,, or often produced into a short
mucro : the interior membranaceous, white, two-
lined, nerveless,-canaliculated on the back, the
margin remarkably involute, at the apex clliato-*
scabrous.
S qUamules two, membranaceous, white, oblong, trilid,
with the segments unequal, acute. Jig. 10i
Stamens three; Anthem yellow.
.Germen ovato-globose; Stigmas, plumose. J ig . 9-
Fig. 1. Spicule of unopened florets. Fig. 2. The same beginning to expand. Fig. 3. The Calc in e Glume.
Fier. 4. The Florets. Fig. 5. The Calycine Glume seen from its exterior surface. Fig. 6. Exterior Glume of
the Corolla seen from its exterior surface. Fig. 7. Interior Glume of do. seen from its exterior surface. Fig. 8. The
same showing its inner side. Fig. 9. Germen, Stigmas and Squamules. Fig. 11. Exterior Glume of the Corolla
having a short mucro.
Among the numerous varieties which this species offers to the attention of the Botanist, three are peculiarly
worthy of remark -When it »rows in a very sterile soil, and is small and slender in all its parts, having generally
a single spike of flowers, and those flowers not more than three or four inclosed in each Calyx, it becomes the var. ß .
of this work and of Flora Britannica. The var. y . probably from the opposite cause, a more luxuriant soil, becomes
a compound spike a t the base-; and even the spikelets are longer than in the common appearance of the plant, and
composed of ten or twelve florets. This variety we have found near Yarmouth, and it is perhaps not uncommon
in other places. The var. S. is inserted upon the authority of Sir James Smith, since we have not seen it ourselves,
and we therefore quote his own words : “ Spicam habet apice condensatam, e spiculis approximatis ovatam,” and
he cites the Herbarium of the late Mr. Rose of Norwich for the specimens.
Scarcely any grass is of more common occurrence than this in pastures, by road-sides, and in cultivated
grounds, not confining itself to any soil, though flourishing most in that which is chalky or sandy. In an agricultural
point o f view every English farmer is aware of its importance. ' Its merits were first discovered (according
to Sir James Smith) in the county of Norfolk, whence (he observes) the seeds have been distributed throughout
the kingdom, those who bought them little suspecting that the plant was already a weed in their own fields.
Rye-°rass appears to have been cultivated in this country previous to the year 1677, besides which Red Clover
(T rifo lum pratense), Saint Foin {Hedysarum Onobrychis), Spurry {Spergula arvensis), and Nonsuch {Mcdicago lu-
puli'na), were the only plants then cultivated as grasses, or termed such ; and it is only of late years that any other
species of the natural grasses has been tried as a substitute for it in forming artificial pastures.
I havebeeniavoured with the following particulars respecting it, by an excellent ex peri mental agriculturist in Essex :
“ Rye-grass,” he observes, “ is not much cultivated, nor considered adapted to this district, (a rich part of Essex,)
but, from Its hardy prolific character, is more useful on light and very poor soils; and although never a great favourite
' in this county, it is even less so than formerly. . - , , f,.
« I t will grow on any soil and without much previous preparation, and is certainly one of the hardiest of the
commonly cultivated grasses in use in this county. I t comes to perfection very early in the spring, perhaps in dry
and poor soils the first of any; nor in this particular can any grass be compared with it but the Antho.vanthum
odoratum, the Alopecurus pratensis, and the Dactylis glomerata. I t produces good pasturage for cattle and
sheep when fed early and often ; and to derive all the advantages possible from such a crop, this circumstance must
be carefully regarded. Indeed it cannot well be too soon fed off; for if the seed-stalk be suffered to form it will never
be eaten down close, but if cropped young it will produce successive good feedings. The same remark applies
to the hay made from it, which ought to be cut in the beginning of the season and before the time of flowering, as
after a little period, when the seed is advanced, it produces no more verdant leaves, and the stalks become hard,
and löse much of their nutritious juices. •
“ I t throws forth very strong and frequently horizontal roots, and forms tufts highly injurious to succeeding crops
in tillage husbandry ; which is*a great objection to its culture here, and applies in some measure also to pasture
land. &The best remedy for this when sown alone is to sowjt very thickly.
“ I do not consider it a fit grass in any situation for permanent pasture land, but rather suited for a one or two
years layer, since I have found it to diminish gradually for several successive years both in quantity and quality,
till it has at length wholly disappeared from the field, being superseded by grasses natural to the soil:”—Such is
likewise the casein France, though the agriculturists there do not appear a t all aware of its cause. “ Les graines,”
says Lamarck, “ qu’on fait venir d’Angleterre pour les semer dans nos prairies, donnent de très beaux produits les
premières années ; mais insensiblement ces graminées dégénèrent, et finissent par ressembler aux mêmes individus
que nous trouvons’dans les champs.” Still its cultivation in that country is prosecuted on a very extensive scale, and
th e farmer regards it as a grass that has the property of growing on the most meagre soil, and of succeeding well on
land that is either cold, moist, or clayey, or that which is dry, sterile, stony or sandy, that resists the frosts and
driving sleets, and thus renders the crop certain, how bad soever the season maybe. That which is sown in April
may be cut in September ; and this forms one o f the principal advantages Of Rye-grass, as its early vegetation produces
a never-failing resource for the cattle when other fodder fails. After the first crop, a second, nay even a
third mav be obtained the same year, or the last may be eaten off the land. Lam. Diet.
Although cows, horses, and sheep are fond of this grass, goats will not touch it ; and Stillingfleet observes that
deer fed in parks, abounding with the perennial Darnel do not produce good venison : from which he is disposed to
infer (perhaps without sufficient reason) that this grass is also improper for sheep, as he has always found that the
same kind o f ground which yields good venison yields also good mutton. t
Care must Be taken to distinguish this species from Lolium temulentum and aroense, from both which it may be
known by the slender spikelets that are moreover longer than the calycine glumes, and by the beardless glume of
the corolla. Every farmer can distinguish it from the Triticim repens, by the strong creeping roots of the latter,
which botanists may discriminate more certainly by its two-valved calyx.
Mr. George Sinclair of Woburn has obligingly favoured Mr. Graves with the following practical remarks on
the comparative merits of this grass. “ There is much diversity of opinion prevailing respecting the merits and
comparative value of Rye-grass. I t produces an abundance of seed, which is easily collected, and which vegetates
on most kinds of soil, under circumstances of different management ; it soon arrives at perfection from seed, and
produces in its first years of growth a good supply of early herbage which is much liked by cattle. These merits
have doubtless upheld it till the present day in practice, and it will probably for some time continue a favourite
grass with many farmers. The latter-math of Rye-grass is very inconsiderable, and the plant impoverishes the soil
in a high decree if the culms, which are invariably left untouched by cattle, are not cut before the seed advances
towards perfection. I f this is neglected, the field after midsummer exhibits only a brown surface of withered straws.
“ On comparing the nutritive properties of this grass with those of the Cock s-foot grass, they are found inferior
to'the latter in the proportion of five to eighteen ; and also inferior to the Meadow Foxtail grass in the proportion
of five to twelve; and inferior to the Meadow Fescue grass in the proportion of five to seventeen. In those comparisons
from which the above proportions arose, it was necessary to omit the Seed crops for the truth o j comparison.
« But the seed of the Meadow Foxtail {Alopecurus pratensis) being often defective, and the plants of the Fescue
{Festuca pratensis) not arriving at perfection so soon as those of the Lolium, their superiority over Rye-grass
is somewhat lessened with respect to their value as alternate husbandly grasses. For permanent pasture, however,
the above proportional values will be found correct ; as Rye-grass is but a short-lived plant, seldom continuing
more than six years in possession of the soil ; but is continued by its property of ripening an abundance of seed
(which ’is but little molested by birds). This being suffered to fall, vegetates among the root leaves of the permanent
pasture grasses. — , ,
« The Cock’s-foot grass (Dactylis glomerata) perfects an abundance of seed, and the plants arrive at a productive
state as soon as those of Rye-grass : hence its superiority over that grass, as above stated, is equally great for
permanent pasture and alternate husbandry, which is not so precisely the case with the Meadow Foxtail and Meadow
Fescue grasses. , ’ , . , ,
“ One peck of Rye-grass seed with fourteen pounds of red and white clover per acre is generally considered
sufficient for sowing artificial pastures.’• ! ’