A. VULGARIS, VAR. AT.RA, RED TOP, 145 



tiil'tod, loaves flat or bristly. Piiiiidr liTiiiiiml, usimlly Hlomlor, 

 nuicli briinclit'd; l)ninnlu!rt sli'iidcr, spikelets luuiu'roiis. 

 About 100 speoios, jiiohtly foiiiul in tomporiitc regions. 



A. alba With, KimI Top, Herd's Orass (ot 



tlio South), Riii'doirs (jrass, Siiiiinioi* l)(»>v()lrass.--Culni.s 1--j 

 fl, hi., asct'ii(lin<i;, sinootli, I'roni crct'pin.ij rootstocks. Lciivt'S 

 siiort, lliit, li<,'ule oblouj^. Panicle oblou"^, '}xS in,, brunches 

 spread in <;^. Empty ;,'lnniert Hube(|ual, or tlio lower longer, oviito 

 or lanceolate, acute, often purple. Floral j^'lunie shorter, trun- 

 cate, 3-nervcd ; avfn short or noiu'. Palea about one-half as lonjf 

 as the iloral f^lunie. 



Thiti is erroneously sometimes called * fowl meadow grass." 

 In iMij^land it is also called *'ri'd l)ent, "i)urple l)ent,'' "creei)- 

 ing rooted bent," "black twidi " 



It is a well known, common, native, jierennial grass, found on 

 nu)ist bottom lands, where it (lowers Avith Timothy or later. The 

 spreading panicle vai ies considerably in appearance, but is usually 

 tinged with purple. 



It starts rather late in spring or after cutting, alfording very 

 good pasture, remaining green for a great part of the year. It 

 yields from one to two tons of hay to the acre, is of good quality 

 and rather light for its bulk. Chemical analysis shows it to 

 rank next to June grass^ very high in nutritive (|ualitios. 



Red top in this country is often sown on marshes, too wet for 

 some of the better grasses. It is not well adapted to alternate 

 husbandry, as it takes several years to become well established. 



Gould says: "' Its interlacing thick roots consolidate the sward, 

 making a firm matting, which i)revents the feet of cattle from 

 poaching. It is generally considered a valuable grass in this 

 country, though by no means the best one. Cattle eat hay made 

 from it Avith a relish^ and as a pasture grass it is much valued by 



Fio. (lit. -a. Plant of Pon nrarlniifcra, Torr, (Texas Blue Grass); 6, spikelet, enlarged 

 unil spread out; c, tloret.— (Scribuer). 



