AGRICULTUEAL SPECIES OF BENT GEASSES. 11 



VELVET BENT, OR BROWN BENT. 



Velvet bent, or brown bent (Agrostis canina L.), is native to Europe 

 but sparingly introduced into the United States. A small percentage 

 of the seed commonly occurs in South German mixed bent. On put- 

 ting greens seeded to the latter, the velvet bent can easily be detected 

 by its forming very dense cux-ular patches of a rather pale or apple- 

 green color. The leaves are finer than those of carpet bent, usuall}^ 9 

 nerved, and under a lens are seen to be minutely roughened. The 

 hgule is long. The patches of turf made by single plants of velvet 

 bent are often a foot or more in diameter and make what is probably 

 the finest of all grass turfs. Under the conditions at Washington, 

 D. C, velvet bent rarely forms seeds, the flowers being replaced by 

 propagula resembling bunches of small leaves, which propagate the 

 plant vegetatively. When grown alone, velvet bent forms much- 

 branched stolons 4 or 5 inches long and often with dense masses of 

 leaves at the tip. This character does not appear in closely chpped 

 turf. 



A source of a supply of seed of this grass is a great desideratum, 

 as the turf it makes is of such exquisite quality and beauty of 

 appearance. 



CARPET BENT. 



Carpet bent is one of the most desirable turf plants that always 

 occurs in turf grown from South Germian mixed bent seed. Seedsmen 

 commonly label South German mixed bent seed Agrostis stolonifera 

 and use such conunon names as creeping bent. South German fiorin, 

 and stolonif erous bent grass. 



The only source of supply of commercial seed has been southern 

 Germany. It is said to have been gathered from natural areas of 

 grass and not specially planted for seed production. 



Most of the plants grown from South German mixed bent seed are 

 apparently identical with Rhode Island bent. The leaves have 

 short ligules, and when grown to maturity the plants are indistinguish- 

 able from Rhode Island bent. 



In old plantings of South German mixed bent, especially on putting 

 greens, at least four forms of turf may usually be distinguished : 

 (1) Bright green very fine-leafed circular patches, (2) dark green 

 larger circular patches, (3) blue-green similar patches, and between 

 these (4) medium green turf not in definite patches. The bright 

 green very fine-leafed plant is velvet bent (Agrostis canina). The 

 grass that does not form definite patches is probably nearly all Rhode 

 Island bent. The other two sorts that form circular mats are forms 

 of what is here called carpet bent. 



When portions of these last two are planted alone they produce 

 creeping runners 3 or 5 feet long the first season, making circular 



