204 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



this grass for permanent meadows becomes better known 

 more of it will be sown. 



Securing Seed. — Meadow fescue i)roduces seed abun- 

 dantly. The chief centres of seed production at the pres- 

 ent time in the United States are E'ortheastern Kansas 

 and Idaho. It is also grown in certain areas in Missou- 

 ri and I^ebraska, but not so extensively as in the areas 

 named. One seed firm at Lawrence, Kansas, handled 

 50 car loads of home grown seed in 1902. The yields 

 in the localities named average about 200 pounds per 

 acre, but in some instances they run from 300 to 400 

 pounds. The first two or three seed crops are the most 

 productive, but where the weeds and other grasses are 

 kept out seed crops that should be remunerative may 

 be taken for a longer period. The quality of the seed 

 grown in these centres is most excellent. It is fortunate 

 that the seed supply from the centres named is increas- 

 ing. It will, in time, doubtless render it unnecessary to 

 import seed, much of which in the past has been so large- 

 ly adulterated with the seed of perennial rye grass, 

 sometimes to the extent of %^ per cent. The prejudice 

 thus begotten against sowing this grass in certain quar- 

 ters is unfortunate as it has reacted against its distribu- 

 tion. 



Meadow fescue ripens quickly after it comes into 

 flower. It should therefore be harvested with j^rompt- 

 ness. There is no better way of harvesting the seed 

 crop than by cutting it Avith the binder and threshing it 

 with the ordinary grain thresher. It is not difficult to 

 clean the seed with a good fanning mill. 



Renewing. — Information with reference to renewing 



