THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



than 90 per cent., although samples containing 75 to 80 per 

 cent, of living seeds are generally accepted as good. 



While it is easily harvested and produces from 150 to 250 



pounds per acre under Amer- 

 ican conditions, the cost of 

 seeding is rather high, both 

 because of the price of the 

 seed per pound and because 

 of the quantity required. 

 When sown alone, 35 pounds 

 of seed per acre are general- 

 ly recommended when in- 

 tended for hay and 15 pounds 

 when intended for seed. At 

 the Illinois Station * sowing 

 less than 35 pounds reduced 

 the yield of hay. In pasture 

 mixtures 5 to 10 pounds may 

 be sown. 



83. Distribution. It is na- 

 tive throughout Europe, in 

 temperate Asia, and in North 

 Africa. It is naturalized in 

 North America, where it is 

 said to have been first culti- 

 vated. It is sparingly cul- 

 tivated over a wide area of 

 the United States. Spillman 

 has shown that it is relatively 

 most extensively cultivated in 

 Virginia, North Carolina, 

 Tennessee, and Kentucky 

 of the timothy region. 2 This 



10 



Seed of orchard grass and its impurities. 

 1. Orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata), 

 two seeds cohering, outer face, and single 

 seed, inner face; 2. blue pearl grass (Mo- 

 linia coerulea)', 3. tall buttercup (Ranun- 

 culus acris); 4. English rye grass (Lolium 

 perenne); 5. Italian rye grass (L. italicum); 



6. crested dog's-tail (Cynosurus cristatus^', 



7. velvet grass (Holcus lanatus); 8. beard- 

 ed darnel (Lolium temulentum)', 9. mead- 

 ow fescue (Festuca pratensis)', 10. soft 

 chess (Bromus hordeaceus) the small fig- 

 ures natural size. 



(After Hicks) 



namely, along the southern border 



i Illinois Sta Bui. No. 15 (1891), p. 483. 

 - Farm Grasses of the United States. 



