GRASS AND HAY 125 



ber of other grasses, "Bunch-grass." It thrives in soil too dry and 

 sandy for the growth of most other grasses, and is much esteemed for 

 grazing in the regions where it abounds. Hard Fescue (Festuca 

 duriuscula). A slender, densely tufted, perennial grass, 1 to 2 feet 

 high, with numerous very fine radical leaves and open panicles. 

 Fall Fescue. (See hay.) Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina). This 

 species has many varieties both in this country and in Europe. It is 

 indigenous in the mountainous parts of New England, in the Rocky 

 Mountains, and in various northern localities. Red Fescue (Fes- 

 tuca rubra). This is regarded as one of the most valuable grasses 

 for dry, sandy meadows. Owing to the great production of fine root 

 leaves, this species makes a good bottom grass, and as these leaves are 

 quite soft the grass is well adapted for lawns, and is particularly rec- 

 ommended for those which are too much shaded for the successful 

 growth of other lawn grasses. It is an excellent grass also for wood- 

 land parks where the soil is not sandy. Indian Wheat (Panicum 

 ciliatissimum') . A more or less extensively creeping perennial, with 

 short leaves and upright flowering stems, 6 to 18 inches high. This 

 grass is a native of western Texas, and doubtless possesses some agri- 

 cultural value for the drier regions of the Southwest. The creeping 

 stems resemble somewhat those of Bermuda-grass, but the leaves are 

 usually more crowded and broader in proportion to their length. 

 Perennial eye grass. (See hay.) Curly Mesquite (Hilaria cen- 

 chroides). A delicate perennial with slender, creeping stems, the 

 upright, leafy shoots a few inches to nearly a foot high. This is one 

 of the most valuable of the grasses of the dry plains and mesas of 

 the Southwest. It forms a dense, green sward, and in habit of 

 growth closely resembles the true Buffalo-grass. It has the habit of 

 creeping over the ground and rooting at the joints of the stems, from 

 which spring leafy branches that in turn reach out for other places 

 in which to take root. Carpet-grass (Paspalum compressum) . A 

 slender, erect, or more frequently prostrate and extensively creeping 

 perennial, rooting at the nodes, and sending up numerous leafy, 

 flower-bearing branches, 6 to 24 inches high. The very slender 

 racemes or spikes borne at or near the summit of the stems are 1 to 3 

 inches long. The prostrate creeping stems spread rapidly, and soon 

 form a dense, carpet-like growth, crowding out all other vegetation. 

 It withstands protracted drought, grows well on almost any soil, and 

 in the more southern districts is evergreen, yielding good pasturage 

 both summer and winter. It is regarded as one of the most valuable 

 native pasture grasses of the regions bordering the Gulf. Canadian 

 Blue-grass (Poa compressa). This grass has extensively creeping 

 rootstocks, and forms a strong turf. It is closely related to Kentucky 

 Blue-grass, but it is more decidedly blue in color, and is readily dis- 

 tinguished from that species by its strongly flattened stems, lower 

 habit of growth, and smaller panicle. It is the "Blue-grass" of the 

 farmers of the New England and Middle States. It will grow upon a 

 great variety of soils, even upon those so poor and thin as to exclude 

 the growth of other grasses. In cultivated lands it is likely to become 

 troublesome, owing to its creeping rootstocks. There is 'perhaps no 



