PERENNIAL GE ASSES OF MINOR IMPORTANCE 225 



lumbia Basin. Farther south it is replaced by the larger 

 Arizona fescue (Festuca ovina arizonica) which extends 

 into Mexico. The few other native American forms are 

 of no economic importance. 



261. Importance and culture. None of these fescues 

 has as yet attained any considerable importance under 

 cultivation in America. Fine-leaved fescue is used 

 sparingly in lawn grass mixtures. Various-leaved fescue 

 has apparently been tested only in grass gardens. Hard 

 fescue also seems to have been grown only in trial grounds, 

 as most of the commercial seed is the indistinguishable 

 sheep's fescue. Sheep's fescue has become widely in- 

 troduced, and on poor stony or sandy land is a valuable 

 pasture plant for sheep and deserves more- attention for 

 such purpose than it has yet received in America. 



Sheep's fescue should be sown only for pasturage and 

 only on land that will not produce better grasses, such 

 as stony or gravelly hills, and poor sandy soils. It is 

 too small to make it worth while to sow for hay on good 

 land, even in mixture with other grasses. It possesses 

 abundant deep, strong roots, and is never injured by up- 

 rooting, nor does it suffer under trampling and close 

 grazing. Sheep eat it quite readily, but cattle avoid 

 it if other grasses are present. The animals should have 

 access to the pastures early in the spring, as the grass is 

 more palatable if kept closely grazed. European au- 

 thorities state that the grass yields most during the second 

 and third years, and should be plowed under after four 

 or five years, where possible. 



Sheep's fescue is a northern grass, and not well adapted 

 to conditions south of about latitude 40 degrees, except 

 in the mountains. Northward its limit is that of any 

 possible agriculture. On very poor land it will thrive 



