188 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



both for horses and cows. There is considerable market 

 prejudice against it, however, on account of its relative 

 coarseness. 



195. Value as a soil binder. Orchard-grass is com- 

 monly recognized as exceedingly valuable to plant in 

 places where the soil is likely to wash. Thus, planted in 

 rills with rye as a nurse crop, it has proven very effective 

 in preventing further washing. Its effectiveness is ap- 

 parently more due to the large tussocks that it makes than 

 to any other one character. 



Orchard-grass has deeper roots than most grasses. 

 Ten Eyck at the Kansas Experiment Station found that 

 the root system of a large plant extended to a depth of 3| 

 feet. The root mass was very dense in the top 6 inches, 

 but below 10 inches rapidly became thinner. 



At the Arkansas Experiment Station the total weight 

 of the roots was found to be equal to the tops. Fifty 

 per cent of the roots were in the top 12 inches and 90 per 

 cent in the top 30 inches. 



196. Improvement by selection. Orchard-grass is 

 decidedly variable, apparently more so than timothy. 

 The contrasting characters are easily seen when vegeta- 

 tively propagated rows are grown in a nursery. Marked 

 differences are apparent in height, coarseness, leanness, 

 color, earliness, number of culms, length of leaves, etc. 



In recent years the study of these variations with the 

 object of developing improved strains has received at- 

 tention both in America and in Europe. 



197. Pests. Orchard-grass is but little troubled by 

 insects or diseases. Occasionally rust is found in small 

 quantity. A very common trouble, however, is the tip 

 burn of the leaves, a characteristic trouble of the grass, 

 which seems not to have been scientifically investigated. 



