REED CANARY GRASS. 41 
REED CANARY GRASS (Phalaris arundinacea L.). 
Seed, Plate 26, Fig. 4. 
Botanical description: Reed Canary Grass is a perennial 
plant with a vigorous creeping rootstock, from which long, scaly, 
underground runners are developed. These creep extensively and 
later send up stout, smooth stems, from two to six feet high. The 
leaves are broad, almost a foot long and sometimes marked with 
white stripes. The panicle is large with rather short branches, which 
are spreading during flowering time but later become erect. The 
spikelets, which are crowded toward the end of the branches, are 
narrow, pale green, sometimes slightly tinged with purple. They 
are generally a little curved and contain only one awnless flower. 
The panicle resembles that of Orchard Grass, but is readily dis- 
tinguished by the one-flowered spikelets. 
Geographical distribution: Reed Canary Grass is native in 
almost all Europe and the temperate parts of Asia, Siberia and North 
America. It is fairly common in Canada, especially in the Prairie 
Provinces. 
Habitat: It grows naturally on low, wet ground, along streams 
and ditches, and in marshes and sloughs. Although a native of 
wet ground, it will endure considerable drought. It is little affected 
by frost. 
Agricultural value: This grass becomes rather coarse and stiff 
with age and should be used for hay or pasture when comparatively 
young. In many parts of the great plains of the northern United 
States it forms a large part of the native hay. 
Biting cold would never let grass grow.—Shakespeare, 2 Henry VI., Act 3, Sc. II., 1592. 
What is good tillage? First, to plow thoroughly: second, to plow: third, to manure. The 
other part of tillage is to have good seed, to sow plentifully, and to take up all the weeds that may 
grow during the season.—Cato, 95-46 B.C. 
If after you have put the seed into the ground, you will await the instant when, while earth is 
being richly fed from heaven, the fresh green from the hidden seed first springs, and take and turn 
it back again, this sprouting germ will serve as food for earth: as from manure an inborn strength 
will presently be added to the soil. But if you suffer earth to feed the seed of corn within it and to 
bring forth fruit in an endless round, at last it will be hard for the weakened soil to yield large corn 
crops.—Xenophon, The Economist, 434-355, B.C. 
