SOILS FOR THE FESCUES 111 



selves more or less unaided by man's intent, brome grass 

 is seen nowhere unless sown. Yet it is tremendously 

 hardy and able to care for itself, once established. Per- 

 haps the heavy seeds that do not readily carry with the 

 wind are unable to travel as lighter seeds do. Brome 

 grass pastures will be green and give ,a good bite in spring 

 earlier than any other good grass of my acquaintance, 

 and it will endure longest in the fall. It makes very 

 poor growth in infertile soils. Given rich land, it will 

 make a splendid showing. It seems not adapted to south- 

 ern conditions. 



Brome Grass Needs to Recuperate. L. Ogilvy, a good 

 observer of things pastoral, says that brome grass to do 

 its best or even to do very well as pasture grass should 

 have a chance occasionally to grow, after which it may be 

 eaten down again. He says that in the West he has not 

 seen brome grass do very well when it was subject to 

 continuous close pasturing. 



The Fescue Grasses. For a description of these see 

 P a " e 53- The fescue grasses are much used in Eng- 

 land for permanent pastures. There are many species, 

 only half a dozen of which are in common use, and these 

 only nominally so in America. Meadow fescue, or Eng- 

 ish bluegrass (Festuca elatior var. pratensis) is the most 

 worthy of cultivation and introduction into pasture mix- 

 tures. The richer the soil the more meadow fescue 

 crowds into the pasture. It is evident, too, that animals 

 relish it. Of all the others, red fescue and sheep fescue, 

 it is difficult to say how much value they may have. 

 Seedsmen list them but have so little call for the seed 



