330 



GRASSES OF IOWA. 



known fact that cattle do remarkably well on this grass in the 

 winter. Though it has lost some of its nutritious qualities, it 

 is highly relished and serves a most excellent purpose in keep- 

 ing the digestive organs of the animals in good condition. 

 With a good winter pasture of bluegrass it will be unnecessary 

 to use the "stock foods " to regulate the organs of secretion. 

 Farmers should not lose sight of the fact that overstocking is 

 injurious. To be in good condition for the winter it should not 

 be overstocked in September and October. Other grasses 

 have been tried in this way. Texas bluegrass has received 

 considerable notoriety in this respect, and while perfectly 

 hardy at Ames, Iowa, nothing can be said about its use in cen- 

 tral Iowa for this purpose, since it has not been extensively 

 tried. The great p .int in favor of bluegrass as a pasture grass- 

 is that it is very rarely injured by cold, is hard to kill during 

 dry weather or by the hot sun, the tramping of hoofs or close 

 mowing. The pasture is continually increasing in value as it 

 becomes older. The writer is familiar with pastures which 

 have been in bluegrass for a quarter of a century, and they 

 yield as abundantly to-day as at any time in the history of the 

 meadow. 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. 



The samples analyzed in this station are given in the follow- 

 ing table?: 



Sample No. 1. April 14, 1896, young, 1 to 4 inches high. 



Sample No. 2. April 29, 1896, 3 to 10 inches high. 



Sample No. 3. May 6, 1896, beginning to head out, 14 to 18 inches high. 



Sample No. 4. May 18, 1896, very wet, headed, 14 to 15 inches high. 



Sample No. 5. June 1, 1896, 31 to 32 inches h.igh. 



NATURAL CONDITION. 



Sample 1 

 Sample 2 

 Sample 3 

 Sample 4 

 Sample 5 



5.68 

 7.31 

 9.85 

 8.07 

 8.81 



