MEADOW FESCUE. 99 



shoots. Found in dry pastures near the sea-shore, in 

 sandy soils. It is a grass of better quality than some 

 of the other species, but is never cultivated in this 

 country as an agricultural product. The color of its 

 leaves is somewhat more grayish than the preceding, 

 and often tinged with red. It is shown in Fig. 70, 

 while its spikelet is seen magnified in Fig. 71. 



MEADOW FESCUE (Festuca pratensis) is one of the 

 most common of the fescue grasses. Shown in Fig. 72. 

 It is said to be the Randall grass of Virginia. Its pan- 

 icle is nearly erect, branched, close, somewhat inclined 

 to one side ; spikelets linear, with from five to ten cyl- 

 indrical flowers, a spikelet is shown magnified in Fig. 

 73 ; leaves linear, of a glossy green, pointed, striated, 

 rough on the edges ; stems round, smooth, from two to 

 three feet high ; roots creeping ; perennial. Its radical 

 or root leaves are broader than those of the stem, 

 while in most other species of fescue the radical leaf 

 is generally narrower than those of the stem. Flowers 

 in June and July, in moist pastures and near farm- 

 houses. 



This is an excellent pasture grass, forming a very 

 considerable portion of the turf of old pastures and 

 fields, and is more extensively propagated and diffused 

 by the fact that it ripens its seed before most other 

 grasses are cut, and sheds them to spring up and cover 

 the ground. Its long and tender leaves are much rel- 

 ished by cattle. It is never or rarely sown in this 

 country, notwithstanding its great and acknowledged 

 value as a pasture grass. If sown at all, it should be 

 in mixture with other grasses, as orchard grass, rye 

 grass, or common spear grass. According to Sinclair, 

 it is of greater value at the time of flowering than when 

 the seed is ripe. It is said to lose a little over fifty per 

 cent, of its weight in drying for hay. 



