212 FOE AGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



it does not withstand shading by taller grasses. It 

 closely resembles Italian rye-grass, but can nearly always 

 be distinguished by the awnless lemmas. The young 

 leaves are folded and not convolute, as in Italian rye- 

 grass. 



242. Adaptations. This grass is primarily adapted 

 to moist regions with mild winter climate. It continues 

 to grow at low temperatures and partly on this account 

 does not well withstand severe winter cold. In winter 

 hardiness it is about equal to orchard-grass. It thrives 

 best on rich, moist, well-drained soils, and does not do well 

 on sandy soils, nor will it endure standing water near the 

 surface. 



243. Importance. In America, perennial rye-grass 

 is of small importance, being seldom employed except as 

 an admixture in lawn grasses. It succeeds well enough 

 wherever red clover thrives, but has not won for itself 

 a place in American agriculture. 



In Europe it is the principal pasture grass, being much 

 employed on rich bottom or moor lands, usually in mixture 

 with white clover, but it is also used as an element in 

 practically all pasture land mixtures. In Europe it holds 

 much the position which Kentucky blue-grass does in 

 America. As a hay grass it is much inferior in yield to 

 Italian rye and other grasses. It is also much cultivated 

 in New Zealand. 



244. Agricultural varieties. Besides being the oldest 

 cultivated meadow-grass, perennial rye-grass was also 

 the first in which cultural varieties were developed. 

 Apparently this grass is little subject to cross-pollina- 

 tion and hence varieties are not difficult to maintain. 

 Sinclair in 1825 mentions six different named varieties 

 in England, and intimates that others were known to him. 



