ORCHARD GRASS. 137 



clay somewhat dense in texture. Even on clays some- 

 what stiff it will give reasonably good returns as hay or 

 as pasture. In fact this grass will do well on almost 

 any kind of soil that is rich, well drained and porous. 

 On the average prairie soils of the Mississippi basin it 

 groAvs freely, but in the northern portions of the same 

 which are much exposed to the sweep of winds in win- 

 ter, it docs not endure well. Other soils of the prairie 

 are so rich as to produce a coarseness of leaf and stem 

 that are not desirable, but this may be counteracted to 

 some extent by thick sowing. While orchard grass has 

 high adaptation for moist soils, it will fail under con- 

 ditions of excessive wetness or dryness in the land, 

 hence it is ill-adapted to undrained sloughs or to sandy 

 soils deficient in moisture. In the gray soils of the 

 Rocky mountain valleys it grows luxuriantly under ir- 

 rigation. Where the other conditions are suitable and 

 the soil is low in fertility, this grass will readily respond 

 to the free application of fertilizers. 



Place in the Rotation. Since orchard grass, like 

 blue grass, is relatively better adapted for pasture than 

 for hay, it is scarcely possible to assign it a place in a 

 fixed rotation. When grown for hay or for the seed, 

 the length of the rotation will depend upon the contin- 

 uance of the profitable productiveness of the grass. This 

 varies much in different localities, but, usually, the 

 tendency in the grass to improve for several years after 

 it has been sown, has led to the practice of maintaining 

 orchard grass meadows and pastures for several suc- 

 cessive years. When grown with red clover for hay, 

 the rotation will be shortened or lengthened accordingly 



