80 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



bonate of lime can do for the soil should read " Alfalfa 

 Farming in America," where a rather close study of this 

 important subject has been made. 



Wherever limestone is found bluegrass is seen. It 

 grows also all over the northern states, but it does not 

 assume great - importance elsewhere than on limestone. 

 It can be made to grow on many soils by the simple 

 expedient of heavy application of carbonate of lime. On 

 sands in Maryland I have seen good bluegrass along the 

 roadsides where oyster shells had been ground up by 

 wagon wheels. In Vermont is a notable bluegrass re- 

 gion : some spots of it are found in New York (it grows 

 sparingly over nearly all the state) ; there are fine lime- 

 stone valleys where it thrives in Pennsylvania and Mary- 

 land. One reaches Virginia before one finds bluegrass 

 enthroned as queen of all field crops. In the limestone 

 regions, mostly in a belt running through the state from 

 the Potomac River to the line of Tennessee, one sees 

 splendid pastures fed by fine cattle, horses ' and sheep. 

 The chief interest in the good parts of these bluegrass 

 counties is in -grazing, and the livestock fed there is ex- 

 ceedingly good. There is practically no other grass than 

 bluegrass on these hills. One finds splendid examples 

 in Loudoun, Clarke, Shenandoah, Augusta, and on down 

 through Tazewell, Russell and Smyth counties. I have 

 not named all the counties having fine bluegrass but 

 enough to show the line or "pay streak" of carbonate of 

 lime that makes the grass. In Russell county Hon. 

 Henry Stuart has grown from a pasture as much as 500 

 pounds of beef per acre and had considerable fall pas- 

 ture left for calves when the export steers were gone. 



