218 FOP AGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



to have been secured. Werner records yields of 52,040 

 pounds of grass, or 10,560 pounds of hay to the acre near 

 Milan, Italy, in 6 cuttings during a season. Karmrodt 

 in four successive years secured on the same piece of ground 

 hay yields respectively of 8077, 8100, 7058 and 7196 

 pounds to the acre. 



Yields reported by American experiment stations are 

 very moderate, being in pounds to the acre : Kentucky, 

 4480; Missouri, 6800; Ohio, 5120, 6-year average; 

 Kansas, 2341, 2-year average; Virginia (Arlington Farm), 

 3200 ; North Carolina, 5557 and 5500. At the Western 

 Washington Experiment Station 3 cuttings were secured 

 in one season. The Westernwolth variety gave a yield of 

 3432 pounds an acre in Prince Edward Island. 



256. Seed-production. The seeding habits of Italian 

 rye-grass are essentially the same as those of perennial rye- 

 grass, and the seed is just as easily harvested. It shat- 

 ters, however, somewhat more readily and so needs to be 

 cut promptly when the seeds are in the late dough stage. 

 Commercial seed is grown in Europe, Argentina and New 

 Zealand. The average yield in Europe is given at about 

 500 pounds an acre, the maximum at double the quantity. 



Seed from various sources gave very much the same 

 hay yields according to experiments in Switzerland. 



257. Seed. The seed of Italian rye-grass is usually 

 quite free from weed seeds, and of good viability. At the 

 Zurich, Switzerland, Seed Control Station, the average 

 purity of 7000 samples has been 95.4 per cent and the 

 average germination 82 per cent. Very good seed will 

 reach 98 per cent purity and 95 per cent germination. 

 Two-year-old seed loses about 25 per cent in viability, 

 and three-year-old seed is nearly worthless. Owing to the 

 cheapness of the seed it is rarely adulterated. 



