ITALIAN RYE GRASS. 161 



Lolinni pereiine, var. Italicum. Italian Rye Grass. — This 

 is one of the most distinct, well known, and valuable of the per- 

 manent varieties of rye grass. It differs from the species in having 

 short awns to the spikelets^ It is larger and more vigorous, makes 

 a quicker groAvth, but is only an annual, and of course cannot Ix^ 

 relied on for more than one season. Where the ground is favor- 

 able, and especially if irrigated, it produces immense crops of 

 valuable feed for live stock, yielding as high as seven and a half 

 tons of dry hay per acre« For this crop it is cut four or five 

 times. The seeds are sown in autumn or in early spring at the 

 same rate as that of rye grass. 



As was said on a former page of this work, annual grasses, like 

 rye, and rye grass, may often be induced to live for two years or 

 more if kept cut short and not allowed to seed. 



For most parts of the Northern States, however, rye grass 

 perishes with the cold winters, and except in some of the cooler 

 and more moist portions of our country, has proved of little 

 value. It will make little growth on dry ground. 



OYNDON. PEES. 



Spikelets small, ] -flowered, sessile on one side of a flattish 

 rachis, alternately 2-ranked, rachilla jointed above the empty 

 glumes, extended into a small stipe beyond the flower, flower 

 perfect. The empty glumes persistent or deciduous, slender, 

 keeled, acute, or obtuse. The floral glume broader than the 

 empty glumes, membranous, ciliate, keeled, transversely pilose 

 near the apex, awnless. Palea scarcely shorter than the floral 

 glume, hyaline, 2-nerved, ciliate. Stamens 3. Styles distinct, 

 clothed with short hairs. Caryopsis oblong, smooth, included, 

 free. 



Perennials, creeping or stoloniferous, with short, narrow, flat 



leaves. Spikes slender, 3-6, digitate at the apex of the culm, 



straight, erect, or spreading. 



Four species in warm regions. 

 21 



