78 THE STOCK owner's ADVISEE. 



with an abundance of small, bluish colored, narrow leaves at the 

 bottom. It mats the ground thickly with bottom leaves. It is 

 like the down of a carpet, and is the most beautiful grass that 

 grows. It sheds an abundance of seed in the summer and fall, 

 and when it once secures a hold it will overrun the country, 

 carpeting the fields with its soft, green texture. It is very sweet, 

 full of nutrition, and the best grass known for grazing purposes. 

 Its growth is confined to the limestone soil. It is cultivated with 

 great diflSculty on any other soil, j^orth of latitude 40 or south 

 of 35 it does not flourish well. 



Clover is next on the list. Vse have the white and the red 

 clover. The white clover grows about six inches high, with 

 small leaves and white blossoms. It is used for grazing purposes 

 generally, as it is too small to cut. The red clover is much larger 

 and grows three feet tall in good soil. There is an objection to 

 both clovers when used for grazing. They act upon the salivary 

 glands and cause a flow of saliva from the mouth, producing that 

 debilitating affection known as slobbering. When \vet with dew 

 it causes tympanites or hoven in the cow. When used for hay it 

 contains a dust that is very detrimental to the respiratory organs 

 of the horse. It is a good food, however, for the cow. 



Timothy is the next in the list. It is not a valuable grass for 

 grazing purposes, but makes the best hay of all the perennials. 

 It grows about five feet tall in good soil and is cut down and 

 cured while in bloom. It grows in all latitudes north of 35 de- 

 grees, flourishing best on rich, dry upland, and upon all soils 

 about equally, except the sandy. 



The grasses we have enumerated here are perennials, living 

 two years in most soils. They drop their seeds in the fall season 

 and lie on the ground until spring, when they come up, very 

 small at first; continuing to grow, they become the fine, tender 

 grass of the fall pasture. The roots of these shoot up and make 

 the pasture of spring. 



The annuals coming earlier are the millet, Hungarian, and 

 rescue grasses. The perennial grasses do not thrive below the 



