304 



FIELD CROPS 



timothy region. In Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, 

 Kentucky, and Arkansas, it is quite a prominent hay grass. 

 It is also grown to some extent along the Pacific Coast. It 

 produces a rather light yield of hay, while its tendency to 



crowd out other grasses 

 and yet grow in bunches 

 which do not fully occupy 

 the ground make it of 

 doubtful worth where tim- 

 othy will succeed. Its 

 habit of maturing with red 

 clover makes it of value 

 for growing in mixtures 

 with that legume. It will 

 thrive in drier and shadier 

 locations than redtop, and 

 is of value in open wood- 

 land pastures. Orchard 

 grass grows best on fertile, 

 well-drained soils. It 

 stands drought better than 

 timothy, though it re- 

 quires rather more moist- 

 ure for its best develop- 

 ment than that grass. 



395. Seeding. The 

 seed of orchard grass 

 weighs from 14 to 22 

 pounds to the bushel, according to its freedom from chaff. 

 It is usually high in germination. It is sown in the same 

 manner as timothy, though seeding by hand is the common 

 practice when it is sown alone. The rate of seeding 

 when grown for hay is about 35 pounds to the acre; when 

 sown in mixtures, orchard grass makes up only a small part 

 of the mixture, not more than 6 or 8 pounds being used. 



Figure 105. 



-Orchard grass, a hay grass of val- 

 ue in some localities. 



