OTHER FORAGE PLANTS. 63 



to four feet high. Two or three of the species are worth little 

 or nothing ; but others are among the most valuable grasses we 

 have. 



1. F. PRATENSIS, known generally as meadow fescue, locally 

 in Virginia as Randall grass, is a perennial, with round smooth 

 stems two to three feet high, in mountain lands in Virginia six 

 feet high, panicle nearly erect, branched, slightly inclined to 

 one side. The radical leaves ^re broader than those of the stem; 

 but in other species this is reversed. The numerous fibrous 

 roots pierce a good soil to a depth of 12 or 15 inches. It is there- 

 fore better fortified against drought than most grasses, and it is 

 in vigorous growth when other grasses are dried up. It is one 

 of our best winter grasses and is much prized as far north as 

 Virginia, where it furnishes cattle good grazing in mid- winter, 

 as they can push their muzzles under the snow to crop it. They 

 are very fond of the long tender leaves, which are enjoyed by 

 horses and sheep also. 



It grows well in nearly all situations, wet or dry, on hill or 

 bottom land, even though subject to overflow, and matures an 

 extraordinary quantity of seed. The seeds germinate readily, 

 and it is easy to set a piece of land with this grass. Seeded alone, 

 28 pounds (about two bushels seed should be sown broadcast in 

 August, September, October or from the middle of February to 

 first of April. From remaining green through winter it is 

 sometimes called evergreen grass. Mowed and dried it makes a 

 good hay much relished by stock. It may therefore be used 

 for pasture, green soiling or hay as desired. 



Sinclair found more nutritive matter in the fescue grass when 

 in bloom than when in seed. In this fact there is great advan- 

 tage in favor of these grasses ; for being cut when in bloom they 

 are more easily and completely digested than when cut later, 

 and hence a larger production of the contained nutritive matters 

 can be assimilated by the animal eating them. 



2. F. ELATIOR, Tall Fescue grass. Some consider this iden- 

 tical with the meadow fescue ; but it is about twice as large, has 

 similar perennial roots, stems 3 to 4 or 5 feet high, panicle a lit- 

 tle drooping or erect, w T ith short branches spreading in all direc- 

 tions. According to the Woburn experiments it furnished a 

 much larger quantity of nutritive material than any of the other 

 fescues and a larger quantity than a number of other forage 

 plants , timothy making the nearest approach to it, and blue 

 grass rating extremely low in the scale. The gross weight of 

 grass was so great, the loss in drying so much less than in others 

 and the, nutritive matter so extraordinary in quantity that the 

 reader will be interested in a comparative table which I have 

 constructed from Sinclair's report of the Woburn experiments, 

 which he conducted for ten years. 



