72 THE dairyman's manual. 



Festuca elatior, tall fescue, grows naturally upon river 

 banks and moist places, and is suitable for reclaimed or 

 irrigated meadows. It is exceedingly joroductive and 

 has been reported to have yielded upon au English 

 "water meadow^' over 50,000 pounds of green grass 

 and 17,800 pounds of hay per acre, with a second growth 

 one-third as large. It is an early grass and does well 

 when sown alone or in mixture. 



Festuca pratensis, meadow fescue or English blue 

 grass, is natural in that country to moist, low alluvial 

 meadows, w^here it forms a large proportion of the herb- 

 age, and is the most productive pasture and hay grass 

 where it is grown largely in Kentucky. It is equal in 

 every respect to rye grass, without any of its defects. It 

 is found growing spontaneously in many parts of the 

 Eastern and Middle States, and forms a large proportion 

 of the ordinary meadow grass and roadside herbage. It 

 is of strong growth and robust habit, but never grows 

 in tufts ; is strictly perennial ; lasts as long as orchard 

 grass, and is an excellent kind to sow with this grass. 

 In Kentucky it is considered next in value to the famed 

 blue grass. 



Poa pratensis, the blue grass of Kentucky, is the 

 finest permanent pasture grass existing. Some of the 

 meadows of Kentucky have been in pasture from the 

 first settlement of the State and are still as good or bet- 

 ter than at first. Its value is shown by the magnificent 

 cattle and horses reared upon these old meadows. It 

 succeeds over a large territory, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, 

 Kansas, Tennessee, and the eastern and southern moun- 

 tain region, notably in Southwestern Virginia. It does 

 not succeed as well in Uie Xorth and East ; nevertheless, 

 the famed dairy localities of Central K'ew York, Ver- 

 mont, and "Western Pennsylvania owe their rej^utation 

 to this grass. 



Other valuable grasses for permanent meadows are: 



