300 BEST SOIL AND CLIMATE FOR GRASSES. 



give value to a grass for pasture and hay are in many particulars 

 identical, although there are many species excellent for the one 

 use and poor for the other. Both must be nutritious, so as to 

 have any value for feeding purposes. They must, moreover, be 

 palatable and of inviting taste, so that they will be freely eaten 

 by animals, for it is a fact well known to those who have made 

 the subject one of careful study, that there are species which, 

 although highly nutritious, are not valuable to the stock grower, 

 because they are not relished, and therefore not eaten by stock. 

 It goes without saying, that a grass which cattle will not eat is 

 of no value to the farmer, be it ever so nutritious, as shown by 

 chemical analysis. 



" Then, too, any grass which is to find a place on the farm 

 must be easily propagated, and sufficiently hardy to withstand 

 the storms and frosts of winter, the heat and drouth of summer, 

 the close cropping and the treading of cattle. It must be able 

 to hold its own against the persistent efforts of the weeds of all 

 sorts to displace it, and after all must not be persistent enough 

 to itself become a weed upon grounds where it is not wanted. 

 Surely these are many qualities, and it is a most difficult matter 

 to find them combined in one species. Indeed, it may be said 

 that for most parts of the country we have not as yet succeeded 

 in securing an absolutely perfect grass." 



The Best Soil and Climate for Pasture Grasses. Moist- 

 ure in generous quantity is indispensable for good and rapid 

 growth of grass. An ample rainfall or artificial irrigation evenly 

 distributed will make a good pasture, even on soils of inferior 

 quality. An average rainfall of thirty inches or more in a tem- 

 perate climate is necessary to secure favorable conditions for the 

 growth of grass. It has been found that pastures on poor soils 

 in Wales and Ireland will improve under treatment that would 

 be quite insufficient on the eastern coast of England. 



Soils which are naturally moist, rather flat and rich, are best 



