46 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



pounds. It is commonly sown with wheat in the fall, 10 

 to 15 pounds of recleaned seed or double that of seed in 

 the chaff being used. It may also be sown alone very 

 early in spring or with a nurse-crop of oats or barley 

 which should be mown off for hay when in bloom. 



Orchard Grass (Dactylus glomerata). This is the 

 cock's foot grass of England and the English colonies. 

 It grows 3' to 5' high. Most of the weight of hay is 

 from the leaves near the ground. It is one of our best 

 grasses. It is not much in use as yet for several reasons. 

 Orchard grass seed is not so easily sown as timothy seed 

 nor in so abundant supply. It is, however, easy to get a 

 stand of orchard grass and it is a vigorous, thrifty grass 

 yielding much leafy forage and a fair amount of hay. It 

 yields about the same amount of hay as timothy and the 

 hay is much richer in protein if cut at the right time. As 

 a pasture grass, it is a little richer than timothy and about 

 half as rich in protein as bluegrass. At the Kentucky 

 station orchard grass yielded in green forage cut June 

 12, 8.4 tons to the acre; dry hay, 3.6 tons. Timothy cut 

 July 2 yielded of fresh forage, 7.12 tons; dry hay, 3.68 

 tons. Kentucky bluegrass cut June n yielded, fresh, 

 4.8; dry hay, 1.68. Bromus inermis cut June 17, fresh, 

 7.2 ; dry hay, 3.04. It is evident from these comparisons, 

 which I think are fairly typical, that orchard grass is of 

 great merit, judging it by its yield and quality. It must 

 also be considered that orchard grass mown so early will 

 yield a good deal of good aftermath which may be grazed 

 with no injury to the sward, if not grazed too closely, 

 while timothy is seriously hurt by grazing after the hay 

 has been cut. 



