22 A MANUAL OF FARM GRASSES 



MEADOWS 



A meadow, from the agricultural standpoint, is an 

 area producing a growth of forage which is cut for hay. 

 In this broad sense the term includes wild prairie grass, 

 fresh or salt marsh grass, alfalfa fields, grain, sorghum, 

 cowpea, or any other plant that is cut for hay. In the 

 usual and more restricted sense, a meadow is an area of 

 perennial or permanent grassland used for the production 

 of hay. 



WILD HAY 



Immense quantities of hay have been produced from 

 native grassland. Depending upon the source wild hay 

 may be divided into three kinds (see page 146). The 

 first and most important is prairie hay, derived from the 

 native grasses of uplands as distinguished from marshes. 

 As such land is capable of being tilled, the area devoted 

 to hay is constantly decreasing, other and more valuable 

 crops being grown instead. Prairie hay from the eastern 

 portion of the Great Plains and the area lying just east 

 of this, is nutritious and commands a good price in the 

 market. It consists largely of bluestem and similar tall 

 prairie grasses. 



The second kind of wild hay is derived from fresh water 

 marshes. Marsh meadows of this kind are scattered 

 throughout the country. They attain great commercial 

 importance in the northern part of the Mississippi Valley, 

 notably in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas. 

 These marshes are too wet for tillage during much of the 

 season but become sufficiently dry during harvest to 

 allow the cutting of the hay. In some localities broad 



