59 



can stand the heavy drops that after a severe shower fall from 

 such trees. These big drops have quite weight and force enough 

 to kill every other variety of grass by laying bare the roots, thus 

 taking away from the plants the chance of living and thriving. 

 Hence the bare spots under trees, witnessed in nine cases out of 

 ten where Poa nemoralis does not occur, and which give an 

 aspect far from nice to the lawn. It is this variety only, which in 

 the struggle with these heavy drops has proved to be the stronger 

 of the two, and, if we repeat here what we said already, that it 

 has with this good characteristic at the same time a nice deep- 

 green shade and an exceptionally fine leaf and stalk, nobody will 

 wonder at being told, that there is a strong and increasing demand 

 for the seed of so valuable and for the creation of fine lawns so 

 indispensible a grass. 



Poa prateiisis (Smooth-stalked Meadow- or Kentucky Blue- 

 grass}. A valuable under-grass for permanent pasture. It is a 

 creeping 25 to 30 inches high growing grass with a tender stalk 

 and producing a fair quantity of foliage of good agricultural and 

 average nutritive value. It is both good for grazing and hay-making 

 purposes, though for the latter with the alternate aim of grazing 

 the field, after mowing, off by cattle it does not answer that pur- 

 pose so well, the fact being, that after that cut has been taken, 

 it does not grow up quickly again that same season. It gives, there- 

 fore, almost its entire yield at mowing-time, and as it is one of 

 the earlier grasses, its thriving capacity is practically over early 

 in July. However, it gives a fair quantity of bottom-grass at the 

 first cut, and as a grazing-grass it is well-liked by all sorts of 

 stock. It grows on fairly good and lighter warm soils and can 

 stand drought very well indeed. It does not thrive so well on heavy, 

 moist soils; only in very dry summers it may be seen in profusion 

 there, if once it has its root-system there and the other, in average 

 years with alternate sunshine and rain predominating varieties 

 have no opportunity to show their usual luxury. 



It should, therefore, be used in a fair proportion in mixtures for 

 permanent pasture on average and lighter soils. But it is not 

 adviseable to use it for pastures destined for 2 or 3 years' lay, as 

 it takes a few years before it is sufficiently developped. 



It is also being used as a lawn-grass on lighter soils, for which 

 its creeping, spreading and thickly covered turf-forming capacity 

 makes it well adapted. And as it has a fine leaf, there is nothing 



