Ian Moore - Grass and Grassland

Collins New Naturalist Library 48

by

James Fisher, M.A.

John Gilmour, M.A., V.M.H.

Sir Julian Huxley, M.A., D.SC., F.R.S.

Sir L. Dudley Stamp, C.B.E., D.LITT., D.SC.

PHOTOGRAPHIC EDITOR

Eric Hosking, F.R.P.S.

The aim of this series is to interest the general reader in the wild life of Britain by recapturing the inquiring spirit of the old naturalists. The Editors believe that the natural pride of the British public in the native fauna and flora, to which must be added concern for their conservation, is best fostered by maintaining a high standard of accuracy combined with clarity of exposition in presenting the results of modern scientific research

Cover Page

Title Page Collins New Naturalist Library 48

Editors Editors Editors Editors’ Preface Author’s Preface CHAPTER 1 THE ROLE OF GRASS IN NATIONAL LIFE CHAPTER 2 THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF GRASSLAND CHAPTER 3 THE GRASS PLANT AND ITS VALUE TO MAN CHAPTER 4 TYPES OF BRITISH GRASSLAND CHAPTER 5 THE BREEDING OF GRASSES CHAPTER 6 THE CONSTITUENTS OF GRASSLAND CHAPTER 7 SEED PRODUCTION AND TESTING CHAPTER 8 WEEDS IN GRASSLANDS CHAPTER 9 PESTS AND DISEASES OF GRASSLAND CHAPTER 10 THE INFLUENCE OF THE ANIMAL CHAPTER 11 THE INFLUENCE OF MAN CHAPTER 12 TOOLS AND THE GRASSLAND FARMER CHAPTER 13 THE CONSERVATION OF GRASS CHAPTER 14 ANIMAL HEALTH ON GRASSLAND CHAPTER 15 THE MEASUREMENT OF GRASSLAND OUTPUT CHAPTER 16 THE ECONOMICS OF GRASSLAND FARMING CHAPTER 17 OTHER IMPORTANT ECONOMIC GRASSES CHAPTER 18 LAWNS AND PLAYING FIELDS CHAPTER 19 SUMMING UP Bibliography Index Plates Copyright About the Publisher James Fisher, M.A. John Gilmour, M.A., V.M.H. Sir Julian Huxley, M.A., D.SC., F.R.S. Sir L. Dudley Stamp, C.B.E., D.LITT., D.SC. PHOTOGRAPHIC EDITOR Eric Hosking, F.R.P.S. The aim of this series is to interest the general reader in the wild life of Britain by recapturing the inquiring spirit of the old naturalists. The Editors believe that the natural pride of the British public in the native fauna and flora, to which must be added concern for their conservation, is best fostered by maintaining a high standard of accuracy combined with clarity of exposition in presenting the results of modern scientific research

Editors’ Preface EDITORS’ PREFACE The New Naturalist series has already covered many facets of the interrelationship between man and nature, and the Editors are glad to be able to add a further volume of this kind to the series. The grass family has a strong claim to be regarded as the most important to man in the whole plant kingdom, and we are fortunate to have persuaded Professor Ian Moore, the Principal of Seale Hayne Agricultural College in Devonshire, to draw on his unrivalled knowledge of grasses and their utilisation for the writing of the present volume. His special interest is the use of natural and seeded grass pastures for the feeding of livestock. Striking advances have been made in recent years in the improvement of such pastures and Professor Moore has naturally dealt very fully with this vital link in the feeding of the human race; but he also covers that other equally important role of the grass family in our economy, the cultivation of cereal crops for the production of grain. Grass lawns and playing fields form a centre-piece in most British gardens and public parks, and Professor Moore has a chapter on these, but the horticultural value of grasses as ornamental plants in herbaceous borders and woodland gardens is less well known. Professor Moore touches on these and many other unfamiliar uses for the ubiquitous grass family, but grass as fodder is his central theme and his chapters on the historical development of our pastures, their economic significance, and their improvement through the selection and breeding of new strains of wild species make a fascinating story. Professor Moore does not give detailed descriptions of our 160 or so wild British grasses, as these are easily available in Dr. C. E. Hubbard’s excellent Penguin volume, but his keys to the commoner species will enable anyone with a minimum of botanical knowledge to identify these both in flower and from vegetative characters. Grasses do not lend themselves to coloured illustrations, so we have confined ourselves to a frontispiece of Dürer’s superb study, and we hope readers will feel that the fine series of black-and-white photographs adequately represents the family and its contribution to the British landscape. THE EDITORS

Author’s Preface

CHAPTER 1THE ROLE OF GRASS IN NATIONAL LIFE

CHAPTER 2THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF GRASSLAND

CHAPTER 3THE GRASS PLANT AND ITS VALUE TO MAN

CHAPTER 4TYPES OF BRITISH GRASSLAND

CHAPTER 5THE BREEDING OF GRASSES

CHAPTER 6THE CONSTITUENTS OF GRASSLAND

CHAPTER 7SEED PRODUCTION AND TESTING

CHAPTER 8WEEDS IN GRASSLANDS

CHAPTER 9PESTS AND DISEASES OF GRASSLAND

CHAPTER 10THE INFLUENCE OF THE ANIMAL

CHAPTER 11THE INFLUENCE OF MAN

CHAPTER 12TOOLS AND THE GRASSLAND FARMER

CHAPTER 13THE CONSERVATION OF GRASS

CHAPTER 14ANIMAL HEALTH ON GRASSLAND

CHAPTER 15THE MEASUREMENT OF GRASSLAND OUTPUT

CHAPTER 16THE ECONOMICS OF GRASSLAND FARMING

CHAPTER 17OTHER IMPORTANT ECONOMIC GRASSES

CHAPTER 18LAWNS AND PLAYING FIELDS

CHAPTER 19SUMMING UP

Bibliography

Index

Plates

Copyright

About the Publisher

The New Naturalist series has already covered many facets of the interrelationship between man and nature, and the Editors are glad to be able to add a further volume of this kind to the series. The grass family has a strong claim to be regarded as the most important to man in the whole plant kingdom, and we are fortunate to have persuaded Professor Ian Moore, the Principal of Seale Hayne Agricultural College in Devonshire, to draw on his unrivalled knowledge of grasses and their utilisation for the writing of the present volume. His special interest is the use of natural and seeded grass pastures for the feeding of livestock. Striking advances have been made in recent years in the improvement of such pastures and Professor Moore has naturally dealt very fully with this vital link in the feeding of the human race; but he also covers that other equally important role of the grass family in our economy, the cultivation of cereal crops for the production of grain. Grass lawns and playing fields form a centre-piece in most British gardens and public parks, and Professor Moore has a chapter on these, but the horticultural value of grasses as ornamental plants in herbaceous borders and woodland gardens is less well known. Professor Moore touches on these and many other unfamiliar uses for the ubiquitous grass family, but grass as fodder is his central theme and his chapters on the historical development of our pastures, their economic significance, and their improvement through the selection and breeding of new strains of wild species make a fascinating story.