AND OTHEE FOEAGE PLANTS. 97 



"To sum up, the grass is an anntial begins to seed in Sep- 

 tember. Can be cut and fed green or cured for hay. Stock are 

 as fond of the hay as they are of corn fodder. It can be used 

 for grazing, soiling, or any other way that any other grass can. 

 It begins to come up in latitude 32J about the 1st. of March, 

 or a few days earlier if weather is moderate. Makes fine feed 

 for cattle and horses, stands drought well, and has made with a 

 3 weeks' drought in May and 5 weeks 7 drought in July and Au- 

 gust, nearly 12 tons of well cured hay. Seed are difficult to 

 save, but the grass will seed the land wherever it grows, as crab 

 grass does. It requires very rich land and abhors the shade." 

 In August, 1880, I received from Mr. Munro, a letter fully 

 reaffirming the above statements. He now says that horses pre- 

 fer the hay to corn fodder. On rich land it will bear cutting 

 four or five times for soiling if weather favors, or three times 

 for hay. He thinks he can produce 30,000 pounds of hay per 

 acre by heavy manuring. He sows the seed in January or Feb- 

 ruary on a rich garden bed and transplants when the plants are 

 four' inches high, the ground being sufficiently moist. He dis- 

 covered a single bunch of this grass in his garden in 1875, and 

 started with the seed saved from it. 



A letter received^at the same time from Mr. Rowell confirms 

 the statements of Mr. Munro. He u had last year nine rows for- 

 ty steps long, which was cut the last of July, cured three days, 

 and made two wagon loads, all that a good yoke of oxen could 

 pull, at least 3,000 pounds. It will seed as soon with as with- 

 out cutting." 



This is not a new grass. It grows naturally on wet lands, 

 two or three feet high ; but in cultivation grows much larger 

 on rich land suited to corn. The stems are flattened, erect ; 

 leaves long with smooth sheaths ; the purplish spikelets crowded, 

 one-sided, on the spreading branches. The resemblance of red 

 top in color and general appearance of the panicle gives the 

 specific name. By saving sufficient seed, one need not have 

 the trouble of transplanting ; and by broadcasting, no doubt, a 

 better hay could be produced not so coarse. This grass is 

 perennial further north ; but it is not the only one that has 

 changed in this regard in lower latitudes. Nor is it the only 

 one that has shown like astonishing development under cultiva- 

 tion. 



19. P. CEUS-GALLI, (Oplismenus of Beauvois,) CockVfoot 

 Grass. This grass is called also barn-yard grass, and other 

 names. It is very widely distributed in Asia, Europe and A- 

 merica and varies very much in size, in leaves, stems, sheaths 

 and panicles, even in localities not very remote one from anoth- 

 er. It is found perfect in all its characteristic parts in speci- 

 mens that never exceed three inches in height as well as those 

 of seven feet. The spikes range from a few lines to four inches 



