250 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



dense, tough sod hard to break and where it grew great 

 crops followed. It is now seen occasionally in moist 

 places or by roadsides. It grows frequently 6' high and 

 if cut early makes hay superior to timothy. The yield is 

 very good and the grass is permanent. I should expect 

 a well-set meadow of this grass to mow 3 tons or more 

 to the acre. It is well worth cultivating except that the 

 seed are small and not easy to get, and the grass is slowly 

 established. For permanent meadow in moist land in- 

 clined to be wet I know of no better grass than this. 

 Fowl Meadow Grass (Poa serotina). This is a typi- 

 cal New England grass and is in use in low meadows 

 in Massachusetts and other eastern states. Prof. Beal 

 says : "It flowers about the same time as timothy. It 

 makes a soft, pliable hay of excellent quality. The stems 

 in damp weather branch at the lower joints and thus 

 the grass is inclined to spread. On account of the large 

 top and the slender stem this grass when sown alone is 

 rather inclined to lodge. This is one reason for growing 

 it with stiffer grasses, such as redtop. Like Poa com- 

 pressa, or wire grass, it flowers rather late, has a dark 

 green stem which remains green and nutritious a long 

 time after the plant has gone to seed. It does not spread 

 by rootstalks like bluegrass. It may be mown late and 

 will yet make nutritious hay." This grass has not made 

 progress elsewhere than in New England. It is some- 

 what difficult to get good seed. It will endure being 

 overflowed more than other grasses. A Vermont sta- 

 tion bulletin says : "It is one of the most valuable of 

 our native grasses, being especially adapted to wet, over- 

 flowed intervale land where the usual hay grasses and 



