ME A D O W-GRA SSES 167 



of long hairs and so the seed must be gathered by stripping 

 after the manner of Kentucky blue-grass. 



Texas blue-grass has been tested at many of the ex- 

 periment stations, especially in the South and as far north 

 as Maryland. It makes rather more growth than Ken- 

 tucky blue-grass, and being more bunchy in habit it does 

 not make as satisfactory a lawn. Furthermore, the grass 

 is not aggressive and in time is crowded out by other 

 grasses. This peculiarity as well as the high cost of the 

 seed has prevented any large use of Texas blue-grass, and 

 commercial seed can be found only in small quantities. 



Oliver has endeavored to combine the good qualities 

 of Texas blue-grass and Kentucky blue-grass by hybridiz- 

 ing. Hybrids were easily secured by placing pollen of 

 Kentucky blue-grass on the flowers of the female plant 

 of Texas blue-grass. The hybrids were very diverse in 

 appearance, most of them having rootstocks like their 

 parents, but some were entirely without rhizomes. The 

 variability in the leaf was also very marked, some of the 

 forms having much broader leaves than either parent. 

 Unfortunately, none of the numerous hybrids secured 

 showed any better seed habits than those of Texas blue- 

 grass, and most of them were inferior in this respect. 



THE MEADOW-GRASSES 



159. Fowl meadow-grass (Poa triflora). This grass is 

 also known botanically as Poa serotina and Poa flava and 

 agriculturally as late meadow-grass and fertile meadow- 

 grass. It is native to both Eurasia and North America, 

 and on this continent ranges from Alaska to California, 

 Colorado, Iowa and Pennsylvania. 



Unlike the other cultivated Poas, this species is adapted 

 to wet meadows, but does not grow in standing water. 



