Kentucky bluegrass is especially adapted for use in the northern 

 half of the United States. Southward to the Gulf of Mexico it is 

 often grown in limited amounts but does not endure the prolonged 

 summer heat and drought as well as do Bermuda grass (Cynodon 

 dactylon), creeping bent (Agrost'is palustris), carpet grass (Ax- 

 onopus compresms] , and certain other grasses. In the southern por- 

 tions of the United States it often wilts and turns brown during 

 the hot, dry summer months. However, after appearing dead, it 

 frequently recovers rapidly during rains or when the cooler tem- 

 peratures of autumn arrive. Throughout its range Kentucky blue- 

 grass comes in voluntarily and occupies lands suited to its growth. 

 It even aggressively invades irrigated timothy hay lands and re- 

 duces both the quantity and quality of the resultant mixed hay. 

 This invasion is so marked that the timothy hay growers often 

 class the grass as a major weed. Approximately 90 percent of the 

 Kentucky bluegrass pastures in America are volunteer stands. 

 Throughout much of its range this grass often dominates both 

 fencerows and roadsides. 



The species produces an abundance of high-quality seed. Commercial seed 

 comes largely from the Kentucky bluegrass region of Kentucky and the 

 Virginias, although recently Missouri and southern Iowa have gained some 

 prominence as additional supply sources. Missouri, with approximately 8,000,- 

 000 acres of Kentucky bluegrass, reaps an annual grazing income of about 

 $24,000,000 from her excellent pastures and also harvests some $500,000 worth 

 of seed. 3 The crop usually is harvested between about June 10 and 15 and 

 often yields as high as 15 to 25 bushels per acre. The seed, as a rule, is especi- 

 ally viable and not uncommonly germinates from 55 to 75 percent. 



By virtue of its strong seeding habits and its vigor in forming sod, Kentucky 

 bluegrass is strikingly suitable for erosion control, especially within the north- 

 ern part of the United States and in the western mountains. In the West, 

 where moisture and fertility conditions are satisfactory, Kentucky bluegrass 

 will effectively bind the soil of slopes, and the species is being used on a con- 

 siderable scale in erosion control. Uhland * found Kentucky bluegrass very 

 effective for checking erosion in Missouri. 



Frequently tins species has been used in reseeding depleted western range 

 lands and good results have been secured, especially on fertile limestone soils. E 

 Initial growth is slow, but ultimately good forage stands usually result on 

 mountain areas, not too warm or too acid, where the annual precipitation 

 averages over 20 inches. Kentucky bluegrass becomes established by the 

 second year and eventually produces a sod and an abundance of nutritious 

 forage. This grass is advisable for planting with early-starting species such 

 as timothy, Italian ryegrass (Loliiim multiflorum) , and clover. The chief 

 retardents which limit its use are the high cost of seed and the slowness of 

 the species in establishing a satisfactory stand. However, its permanence, 

 heavy production of nutritious forage, and ability to withstand severe tram- 

 pling and grazing probably more than counterbalance these disadvantages. 



Kentucky bluegrass, a dense turf and sod-forming plant, produces an abund- 

 ance of slender, creeping rootstockls and a profusion of deep fibrous roots 

 which often penetrate the soil to a depth of 3 to 4 feet. The numerous stalks 

 (culms) grow from 1 to 4 feet high. These are somewhat tufted, smooth, and 

 round. The leaves are mostly basal, smooth, soft, flat or folded, dark green, 

 and succulent. The open panicle is pyramid-shaped; the lower branches 

 longest, the upper ones successively shorter toward the peak. 



3 King, B. M. KENTUCKY BLUEGEASS IN MISSOURI. Mo. Agr. Expt. Sta. Circ. 155, 

 11 pp., illus. . 1927. 



* Uhland, R. B. CONTROLLING SMALL GULLIES BY BLUEGKASS SOD. U. S. Dept. Agr. 

 Leaflet 82, 4 pp., illus. 1931. 



B Forsllng, C. L., and Dayton, W. A. ARTIFICIAL RESEEDING ON WESTERN MOUNTAIN 

 RANGE LANDS. U. S. Dept. Agr. Circ. 178, 48 pp., illus. 1931. 



