GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS. 147 



Orchard Grass, Rough Cocks Foot, (Dactylis glomerata.) Spikelets several flow 

 ered, crowded in clusters, one-sided, panicle dense at the top, branching, glumes two, herba 

 ceous, keeled, long-pointed. Stamens three, seed oblong, acute, free. Named from dactylus 

 a finger. 



Orchard grass flowers in dense tufts. Its stem is erect, about three feet high. Leaves 

 linear, flat, dark green, rough on both surfaces, which, with the fancied resemblance of its 

 loose tufts to the foot of a barnyard fowl, have given it the common name in England of 

 rough cocksfoot. Eoot perennial. Flowers in June and July. Not uncommon in fields and 

 pastures. 



This is one of the most valuable and widely known 01 all the pasture grasses. It is com 

 mon to every country in Europe, to the north of Africa, and to Asia as well as America. 

 Its culture was introduced into England from Virginia, where it had been cultivated some 

 years previously, in 1 7 64. It forms one of the most common grasses of English natural pastures, 

 on rich, deep, moist soils. It became, soon after its introduction into England, an object of 

 special agricultural interest among cattle feeders, having been found to be exceedingly pala 

 table to stock of all kinds. Its rapidity of growth, the luxuriance of its aftermath, and its 

 power of enduring the cropping of cattle, commend it highly to the farmer s care, especially 

 as a pasture grass. As it blossoms earlier than timothy, and about the time of red clover, 

 it makes an admirable mixture with that plant, to cut in the blossom and cure for hay. As 

 a pasture grass, it should be fed close, both to prevent its forming thick tufts and to prevent 

 its running to seed, when it loses a large proportion of its nutritive matter, and becomes hard 

 and wiry. All kinds of stock eat it greedily when green. 



It is a grass well adapted to sow with clover and other seeds for permanent pastures or 

 hay, but is not generally sown alone except for seed. It exhausts soil less than timothy or 

 rye grass, and will endure considerable drouth. It has been known to grow more than five 

 feet in height, and has produced five and a half tons per acre. It contains nearly as much 

 of the fat and flesh-forming material as timothy, but much less of heat- forming matter. It 

 flourishes well in shady places, and receives its name from its being, for this reason, adapted 

 to orchards. Its disposition to grow in tufts or tussocks may be prevented by good cultiva 

 tion of the land, and thick sowing. Harrowing and rolling in the spring will also remedy 

 this evil. 



It flourishes well in almost all soils and climates, but best in sandy loam. It is known 

 in England as cocksfoot. In this country it is most common in New England, New York, 

 Pennsylvania, and Ohio. It is good for both orchards and pastures, especially for the latter, 

 as it produces good milk, beef, mutton, or wool, and every kind of stock eat it freely and 

 thrive well upon it. After being mowed, or closely grazed, it throws up a new growth more 

 readily than most of the other grasses, and it is not inclined to run out in situations where 

 it once gets a good root and the soil is adapted to it, although as easily subdued as timothy 

 by plowing. It is, however, better than the latter to mix with clover, and it ripens more 

 nearly at the same time. If sown too thin it is apt to be rather coarse; hence, to secure the 

 best results, it should be thickly sown, from two to three bushels per acre being a liberal 

 quantity, if sown alone. It is, however, not usually sown alone, except for seed, but with 

 a variety of other grasses blossoming about the same time, when designed for hay, and with 

 both early and late grasses for pasturage. Being an early grass, it requires early cutting, or 

 much of its nutritive value will be lost; the time for cutting being when it comes into blossom. 



Green Meadow Grass, June Grass, Common Spear Grass, Kentucky 

 Blue Grass, etc., (Poa pratensis.) The characteristics of the genus Poa, are, ovate spike- 

 lets, compressed, flowers two to ten in an open panicle, glumes shorter than the flowers, lower 

 palea compressed, keeled, pointless, five-nerved, stamens two or three, seed oblong, free, 

 stems tufted, leaves smooth, flat, and soft. 

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