306 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



for dry conditions in the semi-arid belt. It tends somewhat 

 to grow in bunches and should therefore be sown some- 

 what thickly. Although highly nutritious, it is not quite so 

 much relished as some of the other grasses. Growth is 

 chiefly made in the early part of the season. If allowed 

 to throw up stems, these quickly become woody and are 

 not eaten with much relish. 



Redtop, valuable- both as a hay and pasture plant, is 

 more grown for pasture in some of the central and southern 

 states than in those north. Though not so valuable in the 

 Gulf states as Bermuda grass, it is grown over wider areas 

 much further north than would be suitable for that grass. In 

 northern areas it is also grown for pasture, but usually in 

 combination with other grasses. It is permanent and endur- 

 ing and eventually makes a good sod, but it starts 

 a little slowly in the spring and also after it has been 

 mown. In midsummer it loses much in palatability. In 

 the states that circle around Tennessee and Kentucky, and 

 also in other areas, it is much esteemed for winter 

 grazing when the grazing has not been close during the 

 summer and autumn. 



Bermuda grass is a creeping perennial, the plants 

 from which multiply through underground rootstocks and 

 also through the rooting of the creeping stems where the 

 nodes come in contact with the soil. Because of this 

 habit of growth, new pastures are usually obtained through 

 planting the stems and rootstems at certain intervals. It 

 is strictly a summer grass and makes all its growth vir- 

 tually in. the portion of the year when frosts are absent. 

 It is very enduring and stands grazing well, but it is diffi- 

 cult to completely remove it from the soil. It has much 

 power to produce, even on worn soils. Reasonably close 

 grazing during the season of growth is to be commended, 

 as even slight frosts injure the palatability of the grass. 



Chief among the other grasses, useful in providing 

 pasture under American conditions, are Orchard grass 

 (Dactylis glomerata), Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis), 



