56 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



too much for an acre. It seems that the great place for 

 these fescues in America is in mixtures. 



Sheep Fescue. While not a meadow grass, we may 

 as well mention this little grass at this time. It makes 

 very dense tufts of narrow, rather hard, deep green, al- 

 most blue blades with rather few seed stems. It grows 

 about i' high. It is frequently advised as a good grass 

 for poor pastures and for sheep. I recall with lively 

 interest climbing steep hill pastures in the south of 

 England that were carpeted with this grass and that 

 were so slippery with it that I could hardly stand. The 

 sheep seemed to eat the cultivated crops in the folds be- 

 low to the bare earth, leaving their fescue almost un- 

 touched. In an effort to have a good example of it on 

 Woodland Farm I have sown considerable seed with the 

 net result of a few scattered plants. It is apparently 

 of no value except as an admixture for poor pastures. 

 Carman reports, however, that with him it yielded at the 

 rate of 2.24 tons of dry hay to the acre, at Lexington, 

 Ky. 



The Rye Grasses. Of the Loliums there are about 

 20 species, distributed about the north temperate zone. 

 Of these two are in use through cultivation, L. perennc, 

 and Loliinn perenne, var. Italicum, or perennial rye grass, 

 and Italian rye grass. Neither grass is much in use in 

 America. The Italian rye grass is at best a short-lived 

 grass, living but a year or two; the perennial rye grass 

 lives for two to five years and by seeding itself seems 

 to live^longer. 



Rye grasses are easily established and make a rather 

 large amount of hay. The perennial rye grass is com- 



