OTHER PERENNIAL GRASSES 215 



. cutting or grazing and because of the thick, firm sod which 

 it makes, stands tramping well. In palatability it is 

 surpassed only by blue-grass. 



204. Cultural methods. — Brome-grass is usually seeded 

 in the spring with a light seeding of one of the grain crops. 

 Twenty pounds of well-cleaned seed per acre is the usual 

 rate of seeding. It makes but little growth the first year, 

 but usually will furnish considerable pasture during the 

 latter part of the season. The seeding may be done in late 

 summer or early fall, in which case a considerable growth 

 may be expected the next year. When the crop is grown 

 for seed, it should not be cut until fully mature, for if cut 

 prematurely the vitality is impaired. Formerly much of 

 the seed used in this country was imported from Europe. 

 Within recent years, however, considerable quantities 

 of it have been produced in the Great Plains area of the 

 United States. The yield of seed varies from 200 to 400 

 pounds per acre. After thrashing, the straw may be used 

 for feeding, and if not badly weathered, it is relished by 

 most classes of live stock. Because of the many branch- 

 ing stolons, this grass is sometimes difficult to eradicate. 

 This objection, however, may be largely overcome if the 

 land is plowed deeply and planted to a crop that requires 

 considerable tillage during the growing season. 



THE FESCUES 



There are several species of the genus Festuca that are 

 of agricultural importance. The most common form is 

 meadow fescue, Festuca elatior. Another variety, which 

 grows taller than the meadow form, is called tall fescue. 



205. Description. — Meadow fescue is a perennial 

 having long, fibrous roots which grow deep into the ground. 

 It is not stoloniferous, neither does it grow in prominent 



