COMMON PASTURE GRASSES. 



13 



in the soil. For this reason eight pounds per acre are used 

 when Timothy is sown pure. More usually four or five pounds 

 are sown in mixtures, and this quantity gives a considerable 

 bulk of feed. A striking result often occurs in such mixtures. 

 The Timothy appears to have failed, owing to its great palat- 

 tability. It is grazed more closely than the other grasses, 

 and therefore escapes notice, until by accident or design a 

 piece of the field is protected from stock. The high pro- 

 ductivity of Timothy, its palatability, the cheapness of 

 its seeding, and its relatively long life make this one of our 

 most valuable grasses. On any lands the least inclined to be 

 heavy, or on medium lands with over 30 inches of rainfall, 

 Timothy should replace a large quantity of the Perennial 

 Rye usually shown. The seed costs about 6Jd. per pound. 



Crested Dogstail (Cynosurus cristatus). Dogstail is 

 rather a small grass, much like Perennial Rye in growth. 

 It usually has a faint, but 

 unmistakable yellow tinge 

 at the base of the sheath, 

 just under the ground, and 

 this colour is sometimes 

 more distinctly seen when 

 the outer dead sheaths are 

 stripped off. For the rest 

 it is much like Rye Grass 

 in the ears, ligule-and ribs. 



Dogstail is a strictly 

 permanent grass on prac- 

 tically all classes of land. 

 The amount of feed pro- 

 duced is rather small 

 distinctly less than in the 

 case of Rye Grass, and 

 while fairly palatable it is 



Fig. 6. Crested Dogstail (after Fream). 



