Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/256

* MEABE. 228 MEADOW-LAKK. the Government to the World's Columbian Ex- position at Cliicago, and succeeded Admiral Stanton in command of the North Atlantic squadron in 1894. In the same year he was promoted to he rear-admiral, hit a disagreement between him and the Xavy liepartment led to his retirement at his own request in May, 1895. MEADE, WiLUAM (1789-1862). Protestant Kpisciji)al liishop of Virginia. He was born near .Millwood, Va. ; was graduated at Princeton in ISDS, studied theology, and was ordained jiricst in 1814; was assistant clergyman in his native parish at Jlillwood; from 1811. pastor of Christ Church, Alexandria, D. C. for eighteen months, and afterwards rector at Millwood. In 1829 he was appointed Assistant Bishop and in 1841 Bishop of Virginia. Uc coiilributed lib- erally to the foundation of the Diocesan Theo- logical Seminary at Alexandria. He was an active member of the American Colonization Society, and was one of the founders of the Evangelical Knowledge Society (1847). In 1801 he labored to prevent the secession of Virginia, but aci|uicsced when that action was linally determined upon. His principal literary produc- tions are: Lectures on Fainih/ I'rai/crs (1834); Letters on the Duty of Affording Religious In- struction to Those in Bondage (1834); Com- panion to the Fotit and the Pulpit (1846); Lectures on the Pastoral Offi-cc (1840); Rea- sons for Loving the Ejiiscopiil Church (1857); Old Churches, Ministeis, and Families of Vir- ginia (1857); and The Bible and the Classics "(1861). A memorial of Bishop Meade was pub- lished bv the Rev. Dr. .John .Johns (Baltimore, 18.57). MEADOW (AS. mord, OFi-ies. mede, meadow, (iIK;. iiKila-scrcch. gra.sshopper. Ger. Matte, mead- ow: probably connected with OHG. mcen, Ger. mJihen, AS. mairan. Eng. moir. Lat. metere, Gk. iftav, anion, to reap. Olr. mrithel, party of reap- ers). A tract of low, level land, especially upon the margin of a stream, in which the dominant plant forms are grasses. Prairies (q.v. ) may be considered as extensive meadows. Some writers hold that meadows are the product of artificial conditions; others that (hey are natural formations. It .seems scarcely to be doubted that alpine meadows are natural, either because trees fail to obtain a foothold on account of snow-slides or because the snow re- mains long in such situations, and grasses take possession during the short summer if there is suHlcient soil moisture, .lnng streams, meadows are proliably die to continued grazing or mow- ing, l)ecause tree vegetation may be kept down by such agencies. On the other hand, they are ex- tremely unfavorable for the development of trees, which might fail to develop even in a region specially favorable to tree growth, since seeds would germinate with diirieulty. Hence n meadow nniy perpetuate itself n;iturally, even though originally artitieial. Besides the grasses, other pliiTits nre found in mivadows, among which are in;iny species of vernal herbs, which mature before mowing lime arrives. Some botanists, as Wettstein. believe that plants have acquired cer- tain habits which adapt them to life in meadows that are annually mowed. From an agricultural standpoint a meadow is either a lowland or an upland field upon which hay or pasture grasses grow from self- sown or hand-sown seed. They are also per- manent or temporary as well as natural and artificial. When the grasses are fed down by stock, meadows are called pastures. For artiti- eial meadows the soil is plowed deeply and brought to the very best condition before the seed is sown. A rich, clean soil of fine tilth adds greatly to the weight of the crop. Fre- quently grass seed is sown with small grain as a nurse crop, but the practice is not always successful, since the faster growing cereal de- prives the young grasses of light, and they con- sequently fail. The best method is to sow the grass seed broadcast without a nurse crop. Timothy, red-top, fescue-grass, orchard-grass, oat-grass, rye-grass, blue grass, bent-grass, and many other grasses are very connnonly grown either as mi.xtures or alone, Timothy is often grown as a single crop. Clover is frequently added to a grass mixture. When a mixture is grown for hay, grasses which bloom about the same time are selected, but when used for ])as- ture species that ripen at difTcrent times are preferred. Mowing machines and other imple- ments have quite revolutionized haymaking within the last fifty years, and have enalilcd the farmer to make use of more extensive nu'adows than when all the work was done by hand. See also ll.w and Pasiihks. MEADOW FESCUE. See Fesccb. MEADOW FOXTAIL. A valuable fodder gi-ass. Sic Foxtail (^hass. MEADOW GRASS. . name applied to many of the numerous species of the genus Poa, which are chiefly natives of the temperate iind colder |iarts of the world, and form a very important part of the herbage of pastures and meadows. .Most of the species are slender and of delicate appearance, tender, nutritious, and rather abuiulant. The rough-stalked meadow grass (Poa trivialis) and the blue grass or smooth-stalked meadow grass (Poa pratensis) are among the most common, and arc esteemed among the most valuable for sowing in mixtures of grasses for pasture. The Abyssinian me:idow grass (Poa Ahi/ssinica). an annual s])ccies, yields immense returns of herbage in its native coun- try. Its seeds arc used as grain for making bread. Beer is made by putting slices of this bread into warm water, the temperature of which is kept vip in a closed vessel for some days. Poa annua is a ccmunon species, frequently found as a weed in cultivated grounds, but it is employed with advantage for sowing on lawns in towns, and wherever from any cause perennial grasses are apt to be destroyed. It is often to be se<'n in (lower. :ind is said to ripen its seeds in foiir or five weeks from the time of sowing. It is very abvmdant in most parts of Europe. The nariie is sometimes given to species of .Mopecurus, which are more commonly known as foxt;iil grass (q.v.). MEADOW-LARK. . North American star- ling like hii-d frccjuenting meadows and open places. Few .Xmerican song birds are nmre gen- eral favorites. This is not a lark at all, but l>elongs to the family Icterida-, and is tlierefore n near relative of the bobolink, oriole, and black- bird. The genus (Sturnella) contains only one wellniarkeil species, the common meadow-lark (Sturnrlla magna) of the Eastern United States,