DESCRIPTION OF IMPORTANT GRASS FORAGE PLANTS 



135 



Adaptability. This grass and its congener the Canadian blue grass 

 (Poa compressa) (Fig. 56) are adapted to a cool, moist climate with 30 in- 

 ches of rainfall and upward. They are resistant to cold, never freezing 

 out in zero weather. They prefer well-drained loams, or clay loams some- 



FIG. 56. Canada blue grass (Poa compressa); a, spikelet; b, floret; c, magnified 

 view of cross section of flattened stem; d, magnified cross section of a leaf blade. (After 

 Smith, Jared G.: Meadows and Pastures, Farmers' Bulletin, 66, 1904, p. 24.) 



what retentive of moisture, but are not well-suited for growth in sandy 

 soils. The Canadian blue grass will grow on poorer soils than the Ken- 

 tucky blue grass. The blue grasses are not suitable for hay, as the yield 

 is low, but as pasture grasses and for the construction of lawns, they are un- 



