22 PASTURE PLANTS AND PASTURES OF N.Z. 



to its twitchy habit it is never sown in arable land, though 

 it often becomes a serious weed there ; on unploughable 

 land of the better quality the twitchy habit tends to cause 

 Creeping Bent to crowd out other grasses and to become 

 sod-bound itself. But on really poor land with a good rain- 

 fall this grass is one of the most valuable, and along the 

 foothills of Canterbury its spontaneous spread into the 

 tussock is responsible for greatly increased sheep carrying 

 capacity. In swamps, too. Creeping Bent is of great value as 

 in some circumstances it thrives better than any other grass. 



There are a very large number of strains or varieties 

 recognisable, and a useful piece of work could be done in 

 isolating the best of these for varying conditions. The 

 variety known as Waipu Brown Top has a distinct and 

 possibly deserved vogue in some districts. This name, and the 

 American one of Red Top refer to the brownish pink tinge 

 that is very striking when masses of the grass are in flower. 

 Creeping Bent makes a very useful lawn grass, standing a 

 good deal of wear, and making a fine turf not liable to be 

 injured by grass grub. It is therefore almost universally 

 included in lawn mixtures, and could profitably be used in 

 larger proportions. 



Some seed is saved in the north and east of the North 

 Island, but nearly aU is imported. It is very small and 

 light, and six pounds are sufficient to sow an acre com- 

 pletely. An average price of the seed is Is. 4d. per pound. 



Poa Pratensis or Kentucky Blue Grass {Poa fratmsis). — 

 This grass is usually called by its botanical name in New 

 Zealand, but is often called merely "twitch" — a most 

 indefinite term. It is rather low and creeping, has very 

 distinct rhizomes well developed, a compressed sheath, 

 and leaves of the characteristic "poa" build. That is, 

 they are flat and ribless, but have a pair of fine narrow 

 lines like tram lines running in a shallow depression along 



