MEADOW AND PASTURE GRASSES 



231 



may be mentioned tall oat grass, meadow fescue, tall fescue, English rye 

 grass, Italian rye grass, sheep's fescue, red fescue, Sudan grass and sweet 

 vernal grass. 



Valuable Characteristics. — To be valuable under cultivation grasses 

 should give satisfactory yields, possess good feeding value, be capable 

 of easy reproduction and be reasonably aggressive. To these might be 

 added, habit of seeding freely so that seed can be cheaply harvested, 

 together with hardiness or ability to withstand adverse climatic conditions. 



Choice of Grasses. — The kind of grass to grow will depend on what 

 one wishes to do with it. For pastures a mixture or variety of grasses is 



Map Showing Region of Grass Production in the United States. 1 



desirable for a number of reasons. In the first place, a variety of grasses 

 lends variety to the forage for the pastured animals, and induces them 

 to partake of more food and consequently make more growth. A variety 

 often prolongs the season of pasturage, some grasses making their growth 

 in the early and late portions of the growing season when weather con- 

 ditions are cool, and others growing more freely in the warmer portion of 

 the season. Variety also increases the total yield because of the variation 

 in habits of growth of both roots and foliage. 



When grown chiefly for hay, the yield, quality and palatability of 

 the crop secured are important. The cost of establishing, both in direct 

 outlay for seed and in the preparation of the seed-bed, should be considered, 



1 Courtesy of The Macmillan Company, N. Y. From "Forage Plants and Their Culture," by Piper. 



