37 



Southern Canary-grass {I'halaris raroliniuna) . — Perennial; stems sinj^le or in 

 small clumps, slender, erect, not branched, 3 to 4 feet; leaves abundant, 10 to 15 

 inches long; spikes erect, 3 to 6 inches long, much like those of timothy. This grass 

 has so much the appearance of timothy that it is often called "southern timothy," 

 though it is closely related to the true canary-grass. It is ■widely distributed on 

 damn soils along the coast from Louisiana to Florida, and is valued highly for winter 

 and early spring grazing. Attempts to cultivate it for hay liave not resulted suc- 

 cessfully, as it fails to cover the ground well. Its chief value is as a pasture grass, 

 and for that purpose it is well worth using as a part of the mixture for wet lands. 



Smut Grass (Sporobohis indicus). — Perennial, often in largo clumps ; stems slender, 

 erect, seldom branching, soon be- 

 coming woody and tough, 2 to 3 feet 

 tiill; leaves abundant, long, and 

 smooth ; spike long and slender, usu- 

 ally blackened by a smut {Uelmin- 

 thosporium ravcnellH). 



Very common everywhere in door 

 yards and other places where the 

 soil is rich and has been well tram- 

 pled. It is worthless as a hay grass, 

 but as the leaves remain green 

 through the winter, it is of consid- 

 erable value for grazing, especially 

 lor horses. 



St. Augustine Grass {Ste)iotaj>h- 

 7'iini dimidiatum). — Perennial by its 

 widely creeping, flattened stems, 

 which are much branched, and often 

 reach a length of several feet; fruit- 

 ing branches erect, 4 to 8 inches 

 high ; leaves numerous, short, rather 

 broad and olituse. 



Common, sandy soils near the 

 coast. A valuable sand-binder. It 

 is frequently u ed as a lawn grass 

 and makes a fair turf, but its color 

 is too light to make it as attractive 

 as Bermuda, and the stems and 

 leaves ari' coarser. 



Tall Fescue (Festuca elaiior). — 

 Perennial; stems usually in small 

 clumps, rather stout, smooth, erect, 

 2 to 3 feet ; leaves abundant, long 

 and slender, dark green; panicle 6 

 to 9 inches long, loose and spreading. 



One of the popular introduced species, sometimes known as tall meadow fescue, 

 Huglish blue grass, Randall grass, and by other names. It succeeds best on rather 

 moist, rich alluvial or clay soils such as are commonly found along creek bottoms. It 

 makes good hay, and as it remains fresh and green longer than most others, it is quite 

 valuable for permanent winter pastures. When grown for hay it should always be 

 mixed with other grasses on account of its habit of forming large clumps when grown 

 alone. Redtop and alsike clover will grow well on the same kinds of soil, and the 

 three make an excellent mixture for either meadows or permanent pastures. 



Tall Oat-grass {.irrhcnatlierum elalius) (lig. 11).— Perennial; stems 2 to 4 feet tall, 

 simple; leaves not numerous; panicle similar to that of the cultivated oat, but 

 smaller, and the spikeleta only about one-third of an inch in length. 



Fig. 11. — Tall Oat-grass (Arrkenatherum clatius). 



