170 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



161. Wood meadow-grass (Poa nemoralis). This 

 grass is native both to Eurasia and North America, 

 but immensely variable. In North America, it is native 

 from Alaska to Colorado in the mountains, and south- 

 eastward to Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The agri- 

 cultural seed is, however, gathered almost wholly in 

 Germany, and mainly from wild growing grass in wood- 

 lands. Wood meadow-grass is remarkably adapted to 

 growing in shade and, being fine in texture, is much em- 

 ployed for shady lawns. It is, however, far more averse 

 to heat than Kentucky blue-grass and rarely succeeds 

 south of its natural range. 



REDTOP 



162. Names. Redtop is so called in most of the 

 United States, but in Pennsylvania and the South is also 

 known as herd's-grass, which same name in the New 

 England States is applied to timothy. In Europe it is 

 commonly called florin, and in England is also known as 

 bent-grass. Its scientific name is usually given by seeds- 

 men as Agrostis alba, but sometimes A. vulgaris, A. dispar 

 or A. capillaris. 



163. Botany. The botanical relationship of redtop 

 and the numerous closely related forms is a most complex 

 problem. Many botanists consider Agrostis alba and 

 A. vulgaris a single species, but others hold them distinct. 

 The character most relied upon is the ligule, this being 

 very small in vulgaris, but well developed in alba. Nu- 

 merous varieties of each have been described by European 

 botanists. The ordinary cultivated forms of redtop are 

 referable to A. alba, which is native to the Old World, 

 occurring over most of Europe and Asia ; and in Africa is 

 found in the northern parts and in Abyssinia. It is very 



