NATIVE FORAGE GRASSES 147 



is slightly alkaline. This grass is sometimes called blue- 

 stem and bluejoint but should not be confused with the 

 prairie bluestem mentioned above (Andropogon furcatus) , 

 nor with the marsh bluejoint mentioned later. 



Marsh hay is produced from areas too moist for field 

 crops, and too moist to be classed as prairie. These 

 areas are moist meadows rather than marshes. They 

 may be fairly dry during a part of the season but some- 

 what marshy during the wet season. Hay cannot be 

 cut from these areas if the soil is actually marshy during 

 the haying season. Marsh hay is produced on a com- 

 mercial scale only in the North, from the Dakotas to 

 Wisconsin. In some localities flat wooden shoes are 

 placed upon the horses' feet to enable them to traverse 

 the soft ground. 



Most of the marsh hay is produced from two species 

 of grass, marsh bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis 

 (Michx.) Beauv.) and reed canary grass (Phalaris 

 arundinacea L.). 



Salt marsh hay is produced from saline marshes or 

 meadows along the Atlantic Coast chiefly from Maine to 

 New Jersey. The common marsh grasses of the coast 

 are used, consisting especially of the smaller cord grass 

 (Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl.) and black grass, a kind 

 of rush (Juncus Gerardi Loisel.) The hay is mostly too 

 coarse to make good forage but is used extensively for 

 packing and for stable bedding. 



CULTIVATING NATIVE GRASSES 



Many experiments have been tried to utilize the native 

 grasses as a cultivated crop. The only species that has 



