1915^ WiXTEK Grasses at Chapel Hill 159 



the principal iuoredient of the hay. Clover did well in 

 richest places only. The oat grass has now (Sept., 1915) 

 almost disappeared from these fields, except on terraces and 

 borders. It is not a persistent grass in this latitude and is 

 not found on roadsides or other waste places. 



Chess ok Cheat {Bromus secalinus) . 



This is a vigorous spring grass that would make good 

 grazing hut as it is no better than a number of others for this 

 purpose and as it is a bad weed in grain crops it is now almost 

 never planted. It is an annual, but resseds itsslf persistently. 

 As it looks remarkably like oats or wheat until headed and 

 has the same growing season as these it is necessary to rotate 

 the grain fields when it gets established. Farmers long be- 

 lieved and many still believe that cheat can turn to wheat or 

 oats and vice versa. It is very plentiful along borders on 

 Glenn Burnie farm, and is a bad weed among the oat fields 

 on Rocky Ridge Farm. 



Rat's-tail Fescue Grass (Festuca myuros). 



This is a delicate grass with round, thread-like leaves that 

 makes up a large part of the roadside and embankment 

 growth on Glenn Burnie Farm and in waste places generally. 

 As it is an annual and dies early in summer it would not be 

 of much use as a lawn grass except for Bermuda lawns, and 

 there are others better for this purpose. 



Red Top (Agrostis alba). 



This is one of the principal forage and lawn grasses of 

 the northern states and is undoubtedly an ingredient of all or 

 nearly all the lawn mixtures we get from seedsmen. In this 

 latitude, however, it is not able to maintain itself for many 

 years in competition with other vegetation and while helping 

 to fill in the lawn for two or three years, it does not last much 

 longer. It is a spreading and procumbent grass that is easily 

 recognized by its glaucous green color with a tint of purple 

 in all parts. In Chapel Hill it can be detected in most re- 

 cently sowed lawns, and in the arboretum it seems to be main- 

 taining itself better than usual, due probably to the moist 

 nature of the soil. In the paths here young seedlings of red 



