VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 19 



to spring overflow the fowl meadow may predominate; while 

 red top comes in naturally in soils a little too wet for timothy. 

 If clover is a possibility remember that alsike will stand much 

 colder, wetter soil than red. 



Remember also that all of the above are true grasses — all 

 sweet and nutritious, making hay equal in value to good upland 

 hay if cut early. Too often these true grasses are confused 

 with the sedges — often wrongly called "marsh grasses" or 

 "swale grasses." The latter are not true grasses and it is an 

 unfortunate thing that they are so commonly confused with 

 them since the sedges are, without exception, almost worthless 

 agriculturally, whereas the true grasses, even from wet land, 

 all have high value. It is especially important, therefore, to learn 

 to distinguish them. This is easily done with a little careful 

 observation from the fact that the sedges have harsher leaves, 

 generally, with saw toothed edges and with solid, triangular, 

 stems, while the true grasses all have hollozv, cylindrical stems. 



The solution of this problem for each man is, therefore, to 

 learn what of these true grasses nature has planted in his wet 

 land and prize them at their real worth. If he plows such land 

 he should leave such parts as are occupied by these grasses and 

 aim, by scattering seed or sod of these and other natural wet land 

 grasses, to encourage their growth. 



Blue joint is the best of these on very wet soil, a very heavy 

 yielder and the best of hay if cut early. 



Rice cut-grass is so nutritious that I have known of its use 

 for horses as a sufficient feed with no grain whatever. 



Foivl meadozv and red top are the easiest to handle by the 

 use of seed, starting quickly and giving a full stand of long lived 

 grasses. 



the; problem of the pastures. 



This is in some ways the knottiest of all New England farm 

 problems. The first thing to do is to recognize friends and foes. 

 There are six grasses and clovers of preeminent value for use 

 in New England pastures. These are : 



1. White clover. 



2. Kentucky blue grass or June grass. 



3. Canadian blue grass. 



4. Red top. 



5. Orchard grass. 



6. Meadow fescue. 



Each of these is a long-lived nutritious pasture plant, some 

 doing better in one situation, some in another. Probably the 



