206 FIELD CROP PRODUCTION 



a mixture of clover and blue-grass seed. It is usually 

 advisable to apply barnyard manure or commercial 

 fertilizers to the field before reseeding. The clover will 

 furnish pasture for a few years, during which time the blue- 

 grass will make rapid growth and thicken up the stand by 

 means of its creeping root stalks. 



CANADA BLUE-GRASS 



192. Canada blue-grass, Poa compressa, is sometimes known 

 as wire-grass, and flat-stalked meadow-grass. It is closely 

 related to Kentucky blue-grass, is bluer in appearance, and in 

 some localities goes by the name of bluegrass. It may be 

 distinguished from Kentucky blue-grass by its flat stems, blue 

 color, and closed panicle. The grass is distributed very gener- 

 ally over the Kentucky blue-grass region, but is of importance only 

 along the northern boundary of the United States, particularly 

 in New York State. Canada blue-grass will grow under more 

 adverse conditions of soil and climate than will its near relative, 

 Kentucky blue-grass. It will grow well on acid soils, soils of a 

 sandy nature, and those low in fertility. It is therefore useful 

 in localities where' Kentucky blue-grass does not thrive. As 

 hay grass, it is highly prized where it is known. Live stock 

 prefer it to timothy, but it does not yield nearly so well. It 

 furnishes good pasture, but does not start so early in the spring 

 nor does it grow so rapidly as Kentucky blue-grass. It is highly 

 prized as a lawn grass, and makes a beautiful sward if kept 

 closely mowed. 



REDTOP 



In mid-summer the panicle of this grass has a reddish 

 purple color, from which it gets its common name of red- 

 top. In Pennsylvania and the Southern States it is also 

 known as Herd's grass, the term redtop being sometimes 

 applied to some of the other members of the same genus 

 with the characteristic reddish purple panicles. 



193. Description. Redtop, Agrostis alba, is the most 

 varied of any of the cultivated grasses. Some forms are 



