ORCHARD GRASS. 93 



Its chief superiority over timothy lies in the value of its / 

 aftermath. It will improve under depasturing when a tim- 

 othy meadow would be rendered worthless. 



To sum up the merits of this grass: 



1. It is better suited to every variety of soil than any 

 other. I have seen it growing with vigor on mountain 

 heights and in valley plains, on sandy loams and calcareous 

 soils : on the coarse sandstone soils of the Cumberland 

 Mountain, and on the tertiary loess and alluvium of West 

 Tennessee as well as upon the cretaceous sands of that di- 

 vision. I have grown it upon the siliceous soils of the 

 Rimlands, and have seen it enliven the landscape of 

 the Central Basin with its mantle of verdure. It is 

 best adapted to the sandy loams of West Tennessee, and to 

 the lands of the Central .Basin having a porous subsoil. 

 On lands having a tenacious clay foundation, the roots are 

 checked in their descent, and the -growth is not so luxuriant, 

 nor is the duration of the pasture so great. 



2. It will grow with greater rapidity than any other 

 grass, and for this reason will sustain a large number of 

 animals, and is excellent for soiling purposes. 



3. It will grow in the shade. This quality will enable 

 the farmers to utilize their woodlands as pasture, and so 

 make them a source of profit. 



4. It will resist drought better than any other grass. 

 The hot summers make this a very valuable quality 

 in any grass. Often in July and August the pastures be- 

 come so parched as to afford but a small amount of grazing. 

 Orchard grass then comes to the rescue and supplies the 

 deficiency. According to Col. Bowman, of Kentucky, 

 Orchard grass, owing to its capacity to resist drought, and 

 in consequence of its rapid growth, will yield more pastur- 

 age than the best blue grass sod. 



5. It is both a pasture and a hay grass* After a crop of 

 hay has been taken off in June, the aftermath will furnish 

 a good pasture throughout the remainder of the summer. 



