198 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



at present. On sandy loams it grows with no little 

 vigor, the growth being modified, of course, by the 

 character of these, and the same is true of the humus 

 soils of the prairie except where these are too lacking 

 in density and moisture. Although sandy, gravelly and 

 rocky soils are not high in adaptation for meadow fes- 

 cue, it will maintain its hold on these and produce much 

 grazing where the moisture is ample as witnessed in 

 the good grazing furnished by it on the mountain lands 

 of Tennessee. Although this grass grows much better on 

 slough or marsh lands that are drained, it will succeed 

 in these even when the degree of saturation during a 

 portion of the year is considerable. 



Meadow fescue is ill adapted to lands that are low in 

 fertility. If these are at the same time leechy, the adap- 

 tation even in moist climates is lessened and in dry cli- 

 mates it renders growth almost prohibitory. Nor will 

 it grow well on good strong soils laden with plant food 

 when the rainfall is low beyond a certain degree, as 

 witnessed in the semi-arid belt ; yet it will endure more 

 drought than timothy, as observed in the relatively bet- 

 ter returns obtained from it in Eastern Kansas, Idaho 

 and Eastern Washington. 



Place in the Rotation. Meadow fescue is not well 

 adapted to short rotations, since as intimated previously, 

 it takes from 2 to 4 years to reach that point when a 

 maximum of production will be realized. When sown 

 in meadows it is sown only in those that are to be mown 

 for several years in succession before breaking them 

 up; and when sown in permanent pastures it ceases 

 altogether in the true sense of the term to be a rotation 



