56 



very narrow blades making it a very useful grass for that purpose ; 

 and as it is usually being quoted at a reasonable price, it comes 

 in very handy for that purpose. It is also valuable for shady places 

 in lawns and has been found to do well under the shade of pine- 

 trees. The Agricultural Department at Washington recommends it 

 especially in the latter connection. 



Holcus lanatus (Woolen Soft-grass). A big tuft-forming 25 to 

 30 inches high growing grass with rather broad and abundant 

 foliage. Though the bulk be a voluminous-one, there is, however, 

 very little weight in it. Both as grass and hay there is little agri- 

 cultural value in this variety, which is not at-all liked by cattle. 

 This, it is assumed, is not only due to its being so little nutritious, 

 but also to the fact, that both stalk and blades being rather hairy, 

 which gives to the plant an appearance and feeling of a velvet-like 

 nature, does not suit so well the taste of the cattle, so that wher- 

 ever it occurs in meadows, where other valuable grasses are found 

 in sufficient quantity, its large tufts may be seen, both stalks and 

 abundance of foliage, untouched by the cattle. 



It may in good meadows on heavy soils even be considered a 

 "wmf'-grass. For not only is it being rejected there by all sorts 

 of stock, but owing to its bad habit of spreading exceptionally fast 

 in all directions, it pushes away in a very short time every other 

 good grass which comes in its way, so that once it has set foot 

 in such a meadow, it will soon have superseded all the other good 

 grasses and form the majority of plants in that meadow, much to 

 the detriment of its agricultural value. 



It is for that reason, that the better class of both seedsmen and 

 farmers never put the variety in their mixtures and that they go 

 so far as to reject even samples of other varieties, if they find 

 such samples to contain a few odd grains of Holcus lanatus 

 harvested with same and not taken out, as they won't suffer this 

 plant to come into their grounds. 



Holcus lanatus may be used for pastures only, either 

 permanent or temporary, on light-sandy or marshy soils, where 

 scarcely any of the more valuable varieties will thrive. 



It is also much objected to in lawns on account of its broad, 

 pale-colored leaves and its high-tuft-forming- habit, both of which 

 characteristics make a lawn look far from nice. 



Phalaris arimdinacea (Reed Canary-grass). A tall as high 



