22 



6. It may be sown in the spring or fall with small grain or alone. It 

 is best not to sow it with grain, as the extra production of grass, when 

 sown alone, is worth more than the grain and grass grown together. It 

 may be mown as hay or cut with reapers or cradles, and bound in sheaves 

 like oats. 



MEADOW FOXTAIL "MOUNTAIN TIMOTHY." (Alopecurus 



pratensis.} (Meadow and Pasture.) 



This grass is one of the earliest in making its appearance in the 

 spring. Its tall culms and club-like panicles are charming in their robes 

 of golden anthers. They are so much earlier than the panicles of other 

 grasses that they readily attract attention. In England this grass is in 

 almost every pasture, and in many pastures famous for their richness and 

 luxuriance it is the principal grass. It blossoms in Tennessee in March 

 and early April. 



SOILS SUITED FOR ITS GROWTH It grows best on rich, 

 moist, strong soils. A calcareous loam with a loose gravelly subsoil is 



well suited for it also, but it 

 will thrive upon all soils ex- 

 cept the dryest sands. It may 

 be grown with success in 

 every part of the state, even 

 upon the Cumberland table- 

 land, wherever the underlying 

 subsoil is clayey and retentive 

 of moisture. 



Prof. Beal says "it is 

 quite common at elevations of 

 from five to seven thousand 

 feet above the sea, growing in 

 rich soils along mountain 

 streams and frequenting the 

 so-called mountain meadows.'' 

 "For the more elevated 

 meadows of the Rocky 

 Mountain region and for 

 northern latitudes there is no 

 grass that so highly com- 

 mends itself as this for hay 

 and summer grazing." 

 This grass would do best in Tennessee in the moist and cool climate 

 of the Unaka mountains. The rich soils of the sheltered valleys and 

 coves of that region, and also that upon the "Balds," are probably better 

 suited for its growth than any other soils and situations in the State. In 

 England it is a great favorite in the sheep breeding districts. It very 

 much resembles timothy in general appearance, but while the head of 

 timothy is rough and harsh to the touch that of the meadow foxtail is soft 

 and velvety, but broader and shorter. The hay, however, is much lighter 

 than that of timothy, while the bulk may be greater. Its chief value in 



Meadow Foxtail Alopecurus pratensis. 

 2. Inflorescence. 3. Upper leaf. 4. Spikelet. 

 5. The awned flowering glume, the 

 stamens and stigmas project- 

 ing from the apex. 



