The panicle of flowers is long and capillary, very slender, purple
and glossy ; waves beautifully in the air.
B r iza . L. 3. 2. Quaking-Grass.
From the Greek for balance, from the balancing state of the
spikelets. Loudon.
B . media. L. Is a foot or more high, with few flowers on
spreading, small, purple branches ; introduced in the vicinity of
Boston. Big. It is not a grass that promises to be of much
utility as food for cattle.
B romus. L. 3. 2.
cc A name given by the Greeks to a sort of wild oat.” Loudon.
This is a genus of plants of little use or of injurious influence.
B . secalinus. L. Chess, or Cheat, or Rye Broom-Grass.
This is the well-known chess of the wheat field, especially when
the grain, as rye or wheat, is winter-killed. This has given origin
to the notion, that wheat in this case changes into this plant; a
notion about as probable as that tobacco changes into cotton. It
is singular, however, that the chess, should often be so abundant
where the rye or wheat is cut off. It is an annual plant. If the
farmer does not intend to raise chess, he must have his seed-
wheat free from it, and his ground destitute of the seed. When
the seed is ground with the wheat, the flour is much injured, and
seems to have narcotic powers. Loudon.
Three species of Bromus, ciliatus, L ., purgans, L ., and pu-
bescens, Muhl., are not in sufficient quantity to receive much attention.
The seeds of B. mollis, L ., are said to be deleterious.
Loudon.
D acttlis. L. 3. 2.
D. glomerata. L. Orchard Grass. From the Greek for
finger, from the imaginary resemblance of its heads of flowers to
the fingers. Loudon.
This is a beautiful and well-known grass, 2 or 3 feet high, with a
spreading, one-sided top, and much larger towards the bottom, in
shaded meadows and fields ; has a rapid growth, and is considered
a valuable grass in England when young. It is not supposed to
be indigenous to this country. It can in no way compare with
Timothy Grass for grazing, or the value of the crop.
F estuca. L. 3. 2. Fescue-Grass.
Fest is the Celtic for food or pasture, and may be the root of
this name (Loudon) ; or it may be from fétu for feslu, a straw.
Webster.
Glume 2-valved, unequal, many-flowered ; inner chaff 2, lanceolate,
and the outer one awned at the tip, or sharp-pointed ;
spikelets rather flat.
F. pratensis. Huds. Meadow Fescue-Grass. Has a branched,
spreading panicle of linear and acute spikelets, with linear
leaves ; grows in meadows and fields ; culm 1—2 feet high ; introduced
from England.
In this country this is not considered a very valuable grass.
Curtis mentions it as one of the- six grasses in England for laying
down pastures or meadows ; it should be cut when in flower, as
it loses, like most grasses, a considerable portion of its nutriment
by ripening. Loudon.
F. ovina. L. Sheep’s Fescue. Is recently introduced as a
valuable grass.
F. elatior. L. Much like F. pratensis, considerably larger,
grows in more wet meadows, and is eagerly cropped by cattle in
its young state ; of about the same value.
F. duriuscula. L. Considered a fine grass in England for
hay or pasture ; not very common in this State, but coming into
notice.
The two other species, nutans, W., and tenella, W., have little
value. F. tenella, W., is a low, beautiful, rather stiff grass.
N o te . The six grasses mentioned by Curtis, are Anthoxan-
thum odoratum, Alopecurus pratensis, Poa pratensis and Poa
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