GRASSES 201 



254. Meadow fescue. Meadow fescue, or English blue grass 

 as it is frequently called, likes a rich, moist soil and thrives well 

 on land too wet for blue grass or timothy and too rich to be 

 profitably sown to redtop. It is only moderately productive and 

 furnishes only scant pasturage during the hot summer months. 



255. Orchard grass. Orchard grass is a coarse bunch grass 

 well adapted to rich land and thrives in the shade better than 

 any other grass. It is the first grass to start in the spring and 

 will afford satisfactory grazing several days earlier than any other 

 species. It is not especially nutritious, and stock prefer other 

 species when available. As a hay grass it has little to recom- 

 mend it ; the yield is small, except on the most fertile soils, and 

 the hay is not very palatable. 



256. Brome grass. Brome grass was recently introduced into 

 America by the United States Department of Agriculture from 

 southeastern Europe, where it is extensively used for both hay 

 and pasturage. It appears to be well adapted to the porous soils 

 and semiarid climate of the West and Northwest. It starts early 

 in the spring, endures dry weather well, and is among the last of 

 the grasses to be affected by frost in the fall. 



257. Bermuda grass. The grasses most highly valued in the 

 North do not grow well in the cotton states, since they do not 

 thrive during the long period of warm weather. The South, 

 however, is rich in forage plants adapted to hay production. 

 Bermuda grass is the most important pasture and hay grass of 

 the South. It grows vigorously from early spring until frost. 

 The stems and leaves are killed by freezing, but the roots and 

 under stems are perennial. In good soil it makes sufficient growth 

 to produce good hay, and may be cut three times in a season in 

 the extreme South, and twice in the Middle South. It is easily 

 cured and highly nutritious. Bermuda grass produces seed, but 

 few of the seeds grow well. Good seed is worth from $0.75 to 

 $i a pound. Therefore Bermuda grass is usually propagated 

 by planting small fragments of the sod in which it grows. A 

 mixture of Bermuda grass and white clover makes an almost 

 perennially green pasture. 



