THE GRASSES OF MAINE. 33 



26. DACTYLIS GLOMERATA, Linneus. 

 Dac'-ty-lis glom-er-a'-ta. 



PLATE XII. 



Common Names. Orchard Grass, Rough Cock's-foot, Cock's- 

 foot Grass. 



Stems erect, about three feet high, rough ; leaves broadly linear 

 and rough ; branches of the panicle naked at the base. The flow- 

 ering glumes are rough and end in a sharp point or short awn. They 

 are rather longer than the outer glumes and both are sometimes 

 tinged with purplish. 



This is one of the most valuable of all our cultivated grasses. 

 It blossoms at the same time as red clover and makes with it an 

 admirable hay. As a pasture grass, it is more productive than any 

 other, but does the best under close feeding, because when suffered 

 to grow rank or old it contains far less nutriment then when younger, 

 and cattle, sheep and horses will not touch it, though when it is 

 younger they eat it with the greatest avidity. It is disposed to 

 grow in tussocks, but good preparation of the land and uniform and 

 liberal seeding is a good preventive. It succeeds well in any soil, 

 doing especially well in moist places, and is often sown in orchards 

 because it grows so well even in the shade of trees. 



It is singular that so valuable a grass as this should be so little 

 cultivated by our farmers. Prof. Phares says that sheep will leave 

 all other grasses if they can find this, and, acre for acre, it will sus- 

 tain twice as many sheep or other stock as Timothy ; and, further, 

 if it is cut at the proper stage it makes a much better hay than 

 Timothy, and is greatly preferred by animals, being* easier to masti- 

 cate, digest and assimilate ; in fact, more like green grass in flavor, 

 tenderness and solubility. Orchard grass is considered in England 

 one of the most valuable of hay and pasture grasses. It forms a 

 principal constituent of all the best natural pastures and meadows. 



Specimens of this grass cut in full bloom in Washington, and 

 analyzed at the Department of Agriculture, gave ash 8.07, fat 3.24, 

 nitrogen-free extract 53.76, crude fiber 25.40, albuminoids 9.53. 



