62 



vation, having been highly recommended as a permanent ]>astnro grass. It may 

 he propagated by seeds or "root cuttings," whieh can be ol)tained from leading 

 seedsmen. It makes its principal growth during the winter months, (-oming 

 into bloom in the latter part of April or early in May. It makes a good sod and 

 withstands well the heat of summer and protracted drought. Owing to the wool 

 liness of the seeds, they are ditlicult to sow, and as they are rather expensive 

 this grass has not l)een so extensively propagated as it otherwise would have been. 

 A somewhat troublesome, but more certain, method of propagation is by root 

 cuttings. These may be planted at any time during the fall or early spring 

 months, being set out in rows 2 feet apart and 6 to 10 inches apart in the rows. 

 The retail price of the seed, according to New York catalogues, is $3 per pound. 

 No. 199. Poa arida Vasey. Bunch Si)ear-gra8s. 

 A smooth, upright jxreunial, 1 to 2 leet high, with rather rigid, 

 sharp-pointed leaves, and a close or narrow panicle 2 to 3 

 inches long. This grass is a native of the Kocky Mountain 

 region, from the British Possessions southward to Ariziuui. 

 It has short, creeping rootstocks, and although more rigid 

 than many species of I'oa, is one of the most valuable pas- 

 ture grasses of the dry regions of the West. 

 No. 200. Poa buckleyana Nash. Bunch Ked-top. • (Fig. 7.5.) 

 Eather slender, 1 to 2 feet high, with no creeping rootstock, 

 very narrow root leaves, and contracted panicles of usually 

 purplish spikelets. It is a perennial, and a native of the 

 Rocky Mountain regions, growing on the lower foothills 

 and in the valleys. It grows in bunches, not forming a 

 turf, and is regarded by the ranchmen as one of the most 

 valuable "bunch grasses" of the cattle ranges. It has 

 never been introduced into cultivation, but is deserving of 

 attention, for it responds readily to improved conditions, 

 and when growing along streams or in irrigated land 

 makes a luxuriant growth of foliage, and often attains a 

 heio^ht of 2 or 3 feet. There are many species of I'oa native 

 to the northern portion of our country, particularly in the 

 Northwest, and all are tender, nutritious pasture grasses. 

 Wherever grasses grow, from the seashore to tjie highest 

 mountain to]is, from one arctic /one to the other, the genus 

 I'oa has its representatives. 

 No. 201. Poa compressa Linn. Canadian Blue-grass. 

 A slender i)erennial, with much-Hat tened stems, (5 to 20 inches 

 higii, and small, narrow iiauicles. This grass has exti'U- 

 sively creeping rootstocks, and forms a strong turf. It is a 

 native of Knrope,which has become thoroughly naturalized, 

 and is now very widely distributed over our territory. It is closely related to 

 Kentucky Blue-grass, but it is more decidedly blue in color, and is readily dis- 

 tinguished from that species by its strongly ilattened stems, lower habit of 

 growth, and smaller ])aniclc. It is the " Blue-grass" of the farmers of the New 

 Kugland and Middle States. It will grow upon a great varbty of soils, even 

 up(ui t hose so poor and thin as to exclude the growth of other grasses. In culti- 

 vated lands it is likely to become trouljlesome, owing to its creeping rootstocks. 

 There is ]terhai>8 no better pasture grass for dry and poor soils, particularly in 

 the Eastern an<l Middle Stat.s. It is especially valuable for dairy i)asture8; 

 cows feeding on it yield the richest milk and linest butter. On good Innd it 

 becomes siifliciently tall for hay, and as it shrinks very little in drying, the hay 

 is heavy in ])roportion to its bulk. «ced is advertised by leading lirms at $14 

 per 100 pounds. 



Fi(i. 75.— Hunch Red- 

 toji (/'«a huckliy _ 

 ana). 



