112 DACTYLIS GLOMERATA, L., ORCHARD GRASS. 



Timothy ; but experiments that have been carried on for a period 

 of twenty years have led me to believe that orchard grass is 

 much better fitted to be the leading kind in mixtures, whether 

 for pasture or for hay, or used alone or otherwise ; and I place 

 it far in advance not only of Timothy, but of any other grass we 

 have thus far in cultivation. It is very early. The advantage of 

 this earliness is not only that it gives three weeks longer for the 

 aftermath to grow, but another reason, far more important is, 

 that at this date the white ox-eye daisy ( Chrysanthemum leucan- 

 themum,} and other troublesome weeds are not yet in a condition 

 to seed, so that should any of them happen to be in the fields, 

 they are destroyed by being cut before they have ripened their 

 seeds." 



The following i.s by Prof. I. P. Roberts, of New York: 

 "Orchard grass is hardy with us, and gives an abundant yield of 

 good hay, if cut early and carefully cured. Where we have used 

 it as the principal grass in pastures, it becomes patchy; that is, 

 some portions of the field the cattle will eat close, while other 

 portions, where the grass gets a little start, will go to seed, after 

 which all growth ceases till the next season. I have frequently 

 mowed the pastures as the grass was heading out; sometimes the 

 cut grass was left on the field, sometimes cured for hay. It grows 

 in hummocks to such an extent that evaporation from the soil 

 in dry weather goes on so rapidly that the other grasses perish 

 for want of moisture, and then, too, orchard grass is always 

 'dry' and takes the lion's share of the moisture. Except for 

 timber lots, and for mixing with a variety of grasses for perma- 

 nent pastures, its value is not great with us/* 



A writer in the Connecticut Report of the Board of Agricul- 

 ture for 1868, remarks : " Orchard grass does well on dry land, 

 giving a large yield of coarse, black looking hay, very sweet and 

 palatable to cattle, but it must be cut early, suffering more from 

 standing too long than any other grass with which I am familiar. 



