144 PRINCIPAL INTRODUCED FORAGE GRASSES 



It is not suited to regions where the winters are cold, but in 

 mild climates it makes a strong, vigorous growth. Where the 

 climate is favorable it is an excellent plant for use in tempo- 

 rary pastures. About 30 pounds of seed per acre is required 

 for a full stand. It may be sown in either fall or spring. 



Italian ryegrass, like perennial rye, is used extensively in lawn 

 mixtures. Growing rapidly, as it does, and being short-lived, 

 it is an excellent species for seeding with Kentucky bluegrass 

 and white clover. 



Johnsongrass. — Johnsongrass (Holcus Halepensis) is a robust, 

 smooth perennial, with stems 3 to 5 feet high, provided with 

 strong, creeping rhizomes. The panicle is open and spread- 

 ing, 6 to 12 inches long, reddish or purple, and hairy at the 

 base. 



Johnsongrass is a native of the Old World but is now exten- 

 sively naturalized in America. It is a somewhat valuable forage 

 and meadow grass in the South, but on account of its tendency 

 to spread in cultivated fields, and the difficulty of eradicating it, 

 the plant cannot be recommended generally. 



The plant is valuable for the hay which it produces. The best 

 growth is procured on heavy soils, preferably those rich in lime. 

 When grazed for more than two seasons the leafage is usually 

 much reduced. Grazing does not destroy the stand, however. 

 On permanent meadows this grass, if its tenacious habits are dis- 

 regarded, is probably the best hay species in certain parts of the 

 South, notably on the black soils of central Texas, where it 

 reaches its maximum development. Where the crops are to be 

 rotated Johnsongrass has no place. The plant can be eradicated, 

 however, but the process is tedious and expensive. 



Unfortunately Johnsongrass occasionally produces toxic symp- 

 toms in stock, hydrocyanic acid being formed under certain con- 

 ditions, especially in second growth. As a poisonous species, 

 however, the plant requires further study. 



Sudangrass. — Sudangrass' {Holcus Sorghum Sudanensis), 

 though an annual, resembles Johnsongrass in habit of growth, 

 but is without rootstocks (Fig. 45). It is grown principally as 

 a hay and soiling crop, though in some localities it is used as a 



