84 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



bone. Illinois grows big, juicy bluegrass but it does not 

 make cattle fat as does the grass of the Virginia moun- 

 tains. 



Ohio was settled soon after Kentucky, and bluegrass 

 came with settlement. The natural bluegrass area of 

 Ohio lies mostly west of the Scioto River, though there 

 are rich hills and valleys east of the river that pro- 

 duce the grass well. The advantages of bluegrass are 

 that it is very hardy, is green early in spring and late 

 in fall (it is not quite so hardy as brome grass, though) ; 

 it is very nutritious and palatable; it makes much milk, 

 muscle and fat; it is fairly productive. It yields nearly 

 as much dry matter as the larger grasses, if we except 

 the meadow grasses. The yield is variable, depending 

 on moisture of the soil and fertility. Neglected and 

 closely grazed, bluegrass pastures are often yielding com- 

 paratively little. On Woodland Farm we have tested 

 plots with and without manures ; the land unfed yielded 

 at first cutting 6,400 pounds of green forage per acre; 

 the manured land, 20,000 pounds. 



This was the spring growth only; there would be 

 about two-thirds as much more to come from the land 

 during later croppings. The grass was cut about July i . 



Bluegrass for Lawns. Wherever the soil is good and 

 moisture can be had, north of Tennessee bluegrass is 

 the best lawn grass. It is doubtful whether any grass 

 added to it improves it. It is better when mixed with 

 white clover. If the soil is poor sheep fescue and other 

 inferior grasses may help it out. Canada bluegrass will 

 grow on poorer soil than Kentucky blue. In Tennessee 



