^ 85 



ing element. This grass is also called berd's-grass ia New England 

 and New York. Eed-top {Agrostis vulgaris) and occasionally orchard- 

 grass [Bactylis glomerata) are cultivated by farmers for hay ; not often 

 as separate crops, but mingled with timothy. Blue-joiut (Calamagrostis 

 canadensis) is casually mentioned as growing in some meadows in Maine. 

 Of fodder-plants, besides grasses, red clover, {Trifoliuyn frratense,) white 

 clover, (T. repens^) and alsike clover {T. hyhridwn) receive some atten- 

 tion, but are seldom found growing alone. In Maine and Vermont, 

 clover constitutes about one-sixth ; and in New Hampshire, probably 

 one-fourth of the crop; in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecti- 

 cut, it receives less attention. Wild grasses from salt or fresh meadows 

 furnish about one-foui"th of the hay-crop. 



The Middle States manifest a preference for clover-crops, which cover 

 nearly a third of the hay-fields. The largest proportion of hay from 

 wild grasses is made in Pennsylvania, amounting to about 20 per cent, 

 of the whole; in New Jersey it constitutes less than one-eighth of the 

 crop, and in New York, about one-sixth. Of the cultivated grasses, 

 timothy is the chief reliance, though mingled with orchard-grass, blue- 

 grass, {Foa pratensis^) Hungarian-grass, [Panicum Germanicum,) and red- 

 top. Eed-top, in Pennsylvania and in regions to the south and west, is 

 frequently called herd's-grass. 



Of the South Atlantic States, our returns indicate that probably the 

 larger portion of the hay-crop of Maryland is made from clover, while 

 a smaller i)roportion is from wild or natural grasses than in the New 

 England or Middle States. In Virginia, timothy and clover are in about 

 equal use, while wild grasses come in for a much larger share of the hay- 

 crop than in Maryland. Of cultivated grasses proper in these two 

 States, timothy is the staple, with an occasional mixture of orchard- 

 grass and red-top. Passing down the coast, our correspondents in the 

 Carolinas and Georgia made very few efforts to classify the grasses used 

 for hay-production. Experimental culture with grass and clover seeds 

 from the Department has been successful in the hands of some pro- 

 gressive farmers, but the idea of raising grass for hay to feed stock 

 during the short southern winter has enforced itself upon but few minds 

 in that section. Orab-grass, a term applied to different species in differ- 

 ent parts of the South, is often cured into hay. Pea-vines have also, of 

 later years, been dried for winter-use. The same remarks apply also 

 to the Gulf States, though in some localities the experimental cul- 

 ture of German millet, perennial rye-grass, {Lolium verenne,) alfalfa, or 

 lucerne, {Medicago saliva,) Kentucky blue-grass, «&c., has been attempted 

 with variant success. Several southern native grasses have occasionally 

 been subjected to partial curing. Careful experiments are needed to 

 show how far these grasses are available for winter stock food. 



In the inland Southern States grass-culture reappears. Arkansas 

 and Tennessee show a large proportion of clover, while the wild 

 grasses are less used for hay-production than farther South. Timothy, 

 red-top, millet, Italian rye-grass, ^Lolium ItaUcum,) Hungarian-grass, 

 orchard-grass, blue-grass, and other species and varieties approximating 

 those of the northern States, are noted in many counties. This ap- 

 proximation to northern grasses is still more apparent in West Virginia 

 and Kentucky. The last-named State is the genial home, ^;ar excellence, 

 of the famed blue-grass {Poa pratensis.) In the two States last named 

 the propoi^tion of clover ranges from a fourth to a third of the entire 

 hay-crop. 



North of the Ohio Eiver the cijltivated natural grasses yield more than 

 half the hay-crops of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, while the proportion of 



