MEADOWS AND MAKING HAY. 411 



except that Eiissian brome has a much less important 

 place. In western Minnesota and eastern ]S^orth and 

 South Dakota, Eussian brome is the best permanent 

 meadow grass and timothy is probably next to it ; 

 alfalfa is also likely to have its place in these. In 

 eastern Kansas and Xebraska alfalfa is far the best 

 permanent meadow plant ; and next to it are meadow 

 fescue, Kussian brome, tall oat grass and orchard grass. 

 The latter two may be sown together for permanent 

 meadow, since they mature about the same time, using 

 12 pounds of seed of the former and 28 pounds of the 

 latter per acre, but the meadow from these will not 

 be very enduring. Meadow fescue, sown at the rate 

 of 18 pounds per acre, or Eussian brome sown at the rate 

 of 15 pounds per acre, will be more abiding, but the 

 former will not produce very large yields of hay. 



The annual hay plants for this group of states north- 

 ward, include oats, peas and millets, more particularly 

 of the small varieties. The prairie soils of nearly all 

 the area in this group has high adaptation for millet. 

 Southward in the same, cow peas and soy beans are 

 coming to be grown. For growing oats and peas, see p. 

 407; millet, p. 336; soy beans and cow peas, p. -107. 



For the Semi- Arid Belt. — For the area included in 

 this belt, see p. 348, and for the temporary meadows in 

 the same, see p. 348. The best permanent hay plant 

 for the dry land on which crops can be grown is Eus- 

 sian brome with western rye grass a close second, sowing 

 15 pounds of the seed of each, when sown alone, and 

 about half the amount of each when sown together. On 

 some of the bench lands northward, timothv is the best 



