ORCHARD GRASS 325 



flowers. The grain is enclosed in the flowering glume; 

 it is about one-tenth of an inch long, while the flowering 

 glume is one-sixth of an inch or more in length. 



408. Importance. Orchard grass is not commonly grown 

 in this country except along the southern border of the 

 timothy region. In North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, 

 and Arkansas, it is quite a prominent hay grass. It is also 

 grown to some extent along the Pacific Coast. It produces 

 a rather light yield of hay, while its tendency to crowd out 

 other grasses and yet grow in bunches which do not fully 

 occupy the ground make it of doubtful worth where timothy 

 will succeed. Its habit of maturing with red clover makes it 

 of value for growing in mixtures with that legume. It will 

 thrive in drier and shadier locations than redtop, and is of 

 value in open woodland pastures. Orchard grass grows 

 best on fertile, well-drained soils. It stands drouth better 

 than timothy, though it requires rather more moisture for 

 its best development than does that grass. 



409. Seeding. The seed of orchard grass weighs from 

 14 to 22 pounds to the bushel, according to its freedom from 

 chaff. It is usually high in germination. It is sown in the 

 same manner as timothy, though seeding by hand is the com- 

 mon practice when it is sown alone. The rate of seeding 

 when grown for hay is about 35 pounds to the acre; when 

 sown in mixtures, orchard grass makes up only a small part 

 of the mixture, not more than 6 or 8 pounds being used. 

 Most of the seed is produced in a small section in the vicinity 

 of Louisville, Kentucky. The crop is cut with a binder as 

 soon as the heads turn light yellow, and the bundles are set 

 up in small shocks to cure. When cured, in about two or 

 three weeks, the seed is thrashed with an ordinary thrashing 

 machine which has been provided with special screens. 



410. Utilization. When grown for hay, orchard grass 



