FORAGE AND SOILING CROPS 95 



seed, which often weighs only ten to twenty ponnds j^er bushel. 

 Seed tlioroughly recleaned will weigh ten joounds more. 



Because it varies so much in weight and viability, it is hard 

 to determine the best amounts of seed per acre to sow. All the 

 way from twenty to forty pounds per acre are recommended, 

 when seeded alone for hay or pasture, and fifty pounds or more 

 when seeded for lawn jDurposes. It is always wise to test for 

 germination. 



However, on account of the slowness with which it takes pos- 

 session, taking two years or more to form a good sod, it is 

 nearly always sown with other grasses. For lawn purposes 

 it is wise to make the mixture one-third redtop and two-thirds 

 blue grass, with two or three pounds of white clover per acre 

 added. For ha^^ and pasture, a mixture of blue grass, timothj^, 

 redtop and orchard grass Avitli red and alsike clovers added, 

 and sown at the time and in the manner recommended for clover 

 and timothy mixtures, will usually be found satisfactory. Only 

 a few pounds of blue grass seed will suffice in this mixture. The 

 other grasses will develop good pastureage early and wall be 

 driven out gradually by the blue grass, which finally will take 

 complete possession. The fact is that a large part of the per- 

 manent blue grass pastures w^ere not seeded at all. They were 

 originally covered with native grasses, which have been gradu- 

 ally driven out by the natural spreading of the blue grass. 



Canada blue grass. — This is another of the blue grasses that 

 is of considerable importance. It differs from Kentucky blue 

 grass in being somewhat smaller, with a more compact seed 

 head and having a stem that is oval and with a l)end at each 

 joint, w^hile that of the latter is round and straight. In color 

 it is somewhat lighter green. It also spreads by means of 

 underground stems and forms an excellent sod. 



The seed is cheaper than that of the Kentucky blue grass 

 because it does not have to be stripped from the stem, but when 

 mature the grass can be cut and threshed in an ordinary separ- 

 ator. On account of this cheapness it has often been used as 

 an adulterant in the seed of Kentucky blue grass, which gave it 

 a bad name. It has, however, considerable importance of its 

 own. '\\Tiile not so desirable as Kentucky blue grass where 

 that will thrive on soils too poor or too sour for Kentucky blue 

 grass, the Canada blue grass often takes possession, producing 

 excellent pasturage and sometimes the only hay that could be 

 grown. 



Brome grass. — This is a deep-rooted perennial with stems 



