168 FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



Bluegrass. — Kentucky bluegrass, or June grass, easily ranks first 

 for lawn and pasture in the northeastern United States. By its 

 persistence it often even drives out other grasses and clovers from the 

 meadows and pastures. The fact that bluegrass is one of the richest 

 of grasses in digestible protein helps explain the fondness for it shown 

 by stock. Differing from most grasses of the humid regions, mature 

 dried bluegrass is quite readily grazed by animals, thus resembling 

 some of the grasses of the western ranges. 



With the coming of spring, bluegrass pushes forward so vigorously 



Fig. 47.— Beef Cattle Fattening on Bluegrass Pasture 



In the northeastern United States, Kentucky bluegrass is by far the most im- 

 portant pasture grass. 



that early in IMay the fields bear a thick, nutritious carpet of green. 

 "With seed bearing, the plant's energies become exhausted, and blue- 

 grass enters a period of rest which lasts several weeks, and if a mid- 

 summer drought occurs the plants turn brown and appear to be dying. 

 However, they quickly revive with the coming of the fall rains, and 

 each plant is once more busy gathering nourishment for the coming 

 season's seed bearing. The observant stockman soon learns the folly 

 of relying on bluegrass pasture for a steady and uniform feed supply 

 for his cattle thruout the season. Accordingly, he understocks the 

 pasture in spring so that the excess of herbage during May and June 



