Kentucky bluegrass, with the exception of timothy, is the most 

 important perennial grass cultivated in North America, being par- 

 ticularly popular as a pasture and meadow grass ; in fact, it is often 

 referred to as "the king of the pasture lands." This plant is known 

 by numerous common or local names, including lawn grass, spear- 

 grass, junegrass, and greensward. In England, Avhere it abounds, 

 the species is usually called meadow grass. Because of its abundance 

 and luxuriant growth, throughout Kentucky, and especially near 

 Lexington, "the city of the bluegrass", this species is most generally 

 known as Kentucky bluegrass. The name bluegrass appears to have 

 been first applied to Canada bluegrass (P. campressa) , because of its 

 characteristic bluish green foliage. Subsequently the entire Poa 

 genus won recognition as bluegrasses. 



The common belief that Kentucky bluegrass is indigenous in the 

 United States probably is erroneous. Some agrostologists believe 

 that certain bluegrass forms unquestionably native in the northern 

 and cooler parts of North America may be varieties or subspecies 

 of Kentucky bluegrass. Possibly this is true, although the present 

 tendency is to regard such forms as distinct, though related species. 

 According to Carrier and Bort x the first American record of what 

 we now call Kentucky bluegrass emanated from William Penn who, 

 in 1685, made an experimental sowing of the seed, obtained from 

 England, in his courtyard. Penn wrote : 



It grew very thick but I ordered it to be fed (grazed) being in the nature <>!' 

 a grass plot on purpose to see it" the roots lay firm and though it had been 

 mere sand cast off of the cellar but a year before the seed took much root and 

 held and fed like old English ground. 



Carrier and Bort (op. tit.) further record that in the same year 

 (1685) Thomas Budd also advised farmers to sow English grass 

 seed on well-drained low grounds, and the June notes in the New 

 England Almanac for 1730 urge farmers to "cut your English grass 

 seed." Various other references have been made to planting Eng- 

 lish grass seed. These observations, authorities agree, doubtless 

 referred to what w r e now call Kentucky bluegrass. 



The indications are that Kentucky bluegrass probably had not 

 become widely distributed in Pennsylvania by 1749, since Kalm (as 

 quoted by Pinkerton 2 ) wrote as follows: 



This country does not afford any green pastures like the Swedish ones ; the 

 woods are the places where the cattle must collect their food * * *. The 

 trees stand far asunder ; out the ground between them is not covered with 

 green sods; for there are but few kinds of grasses in the woods, and they 

 stand single and scattered. 



This vivid description indicates that Kentucky bluegrass, if pres- 

 ent, was certainly not abundant. The rich limestone soil of Ken- 

 tucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania provided an ideal habitat, and 

 this grass spread rapidly over this humid region, especially on 

 abandoned and cleared lands. In many places the species became so 

 abundant and aggressive that it was considered a pest. 



1 Carrier, L., and Bort, K. S. THK HISTORY OP KENTUCKY BMJEGRASS AM> WHITE 

 CLOVER IN THE UNITED STATES. Jour. Amer. Soc. Agron. 8 : 256-266. 1916. 



2 Pinkerton, J. A GENERAL COLLECTION OF THE BEST AND MOST INTERESTING VOYAGES 



AND TRAVELS IN VARIOUS PARTS OP AMERICA. 4 V., illUS. London, 1819. 



