184 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



icals has been used to a small extent, but is not very 

 satisfactory. 



A much better method is to use sheep to keep the weeds 

 down. These animals may be turned in the field as soon 

 as the grass begins to grow in spring, and allowed to remain 

 until harvest time, but many growers remove them in 

 early May. As the orchard-grass matures, the sheep eat 

 but little of it, but graze principally on the weeds, especially 

 white weed. They do very little damage to the grass 

 when it is dry but should be removed during wet weather. 

 Even when sheep stampede through a field nearly ripe 

 but few culms are broken. This is due to the bunching 

 habit of the orchard-grass which leaves room between 

 the plants for the feet of the sheep, and the stout 

 stems are seldom injured. Cattle are not nearly as 

 satisfactory as sheep, for they trample down too much 

 of the grass. 



189. Seed. Orchard-grass seed is often adulterated 

 with that of meadow fescue and perennial rye-grass, both 

 of which resemble it rather closely, and both of which are 

 much cheaper. Orchard-grass seed, however, may be 

 readily distinguished from these two by the slightly 

 smaller size and the awn-pointed apex of the lemma, 

 which in both of the others is merely acute (Fig. 18). 



The best quality of seed reaches a purity of 95-98 per 

 cent and a viability of 98-99 per cent. Germination is 

 complete in 14 days. The seed deteriorates but little 

 the first year, but thereafter more rapidly, so that when 

 four years old it is worthless. 



A bushel weighs from 12 to 22 pounds, the usual legal 

 weight being 14 pounds. One pound contains, according 

 to different authorities, 579,500 seeds (Stebler), 426,000 

 seeds (Hunter), 400,000 to 480,000 seeds (Hunt). 



