GRASSES OF MINOR IMPORTANCE 109 



with stout stems that rise above the creeping base to a 

 height of 4 to 8 feet, bearing flat smooth blades and a 

 terminal panicle 4 to 8 inches long, consisting of several 

 short branches scattered along the main axis. The 

 spikelets are elliptic, about 1/8 inch long, crowded on the 

 branches of the panicle. The creeping bases of the stems 

 soon form a tangled mass which completely occupies the 

 soil. The nodes or joints of the stem are densely velvety. 

 Para grass is readily grown from cuttings. The pas- 

 ture must be renewed occasionally as the soil becomes so 

 filled with the roots and tangled stems that the forage is 

 greatly reduced. Para grass does not withstand tramp- 

 ling and is not well suited to pasture. In tropical 

 countries it is used chiefly for soiling. Para grass is 

 probably a native of Africa but is now cultivated through- 

 out tropical America at low altitudes. The botanical 

 name is Panicum barbinode Trin. It has been errone- 

 ously called Panicum molle Swartz, a name which belongs 

 to a different species. In the Hawaiian Islands, Para 

 grass is usually known as panicum. 



THE FESCUE GRASSES 



There are several European species of fescue grasses 

 that are used to a limited extent in this country in lawn 

 and pasture mixtures. They are low grasses with fine 

 leaves, the flower stalk being 6 to 12 inches high. Some 

 of the species are much used in Europe, especially on 

 rocky or sterile soil. In this country they are of some 

 use on the same kind of soil in New England and in other 

 parts of the Northeast, giving some pasture where other 

 species could not obtain a foothold. The fescue grasses 



