CHAPTER X. 



TALL OAT GRASS. 



The term oat grass means any cultivated species of 

 Avenu. Tall oat grass (Arrhenatherum avenaceum) is 

 the most valuable variety of the oat grass family. It is 

 also known by the names Tall Meadow Oat grass, False 

 Oat grass, Evergreen grass, Grass of the Andes and 

 French Rye grass. It is the Avena Elatior of Linnaeus. 

 It inclines to what may be termed the tussock habit of 

 growth. Under some conditions it reaches the heiglit 

 of 7 feet and under others does not exceed 2 feet. Un- 

 der average conditions the height to which the plants 

 usually attain is about 3 feet. The foliage is abundant 

 but is somewhat coarse. The stems are also more or 

 less coarse, Avhich detracts from its value for hay. The 

 panicle is long, narrow and nodding, and leans slightly 

 to one side. It considerably resembles that of the 

 common oat, but is more slender in every way. The 

 roots are long and fibrous, going down deeply into the 

 soil, but in some instances, as when the soil is not 

 suited to the needs of the plants, they become bulbous. 



Tall oat grass is a perennial in its habit of growth and 

 somewhat long lived. The seed is large and has strong 

 germinating power. The plants grow rapidly in the 

 early spring. They furnish much pasture in the north- 

 ern states in IMay, and in the southern states as early 



