102 Fertile Meadow Grass. 



does not attain to its fullest productive powers from 

 seed till four , years," but later experience shows that 

 the successful cultivation of this grass largely depends 

 on the suitability of the soil and the sufficiency of 

 moisture supplied. Thus at Carbeth, Killeam, Stirling- 

 shire, meadow foxtail, sown in 1884 on a good stiffish 

 loam, yielded in 1885 (the year following the sowing 

 of the seed) such satisfactory results that it is stated 

 of this grass by Dr. Wilson, in his able report, that " of 

 all the grasses examined meadow foxtail seems to 

 combine best productiveness and nutritive qualities." 

 Though very valuable for permanent pasture, it is, 

 however, not desirable for alternate husbandry. 



I have now alluded to all the tall grasses commonly 

 used for permanent pasture — i.e., cocksfoot, tall fescue, 

 tall oat grass, timothy, meadow fescue, and meadow 

 foxtail^-but there is a sixth of which I have had some 

 experience, and which, for hay in especial, seems to me 

 to be very desirable, Poa fertilis, or serotina, and 

 Sinclair tells us that " it adds much to the value of a 

 sward from its nutritive qualities and powers of early 

 and late growth." 



Fertile or late-flowering Meadow grass, {Poa fertilis, 

 or serotina), has for a great many years been highly 

 esteemed in the United States, and as it perfects an 

 abundance of seed, and can therefore be easily 

 propagated, it seems singular that it should have 

 been neglected here. This grass is described in Dr. 

 George Vasey's work, "The Agricultural Grasses of 

 the United States," as Poa serotina, or fowl meadow 

 grass, and he tells us that the culms are from 2 to 3 

 feet high (about the highest I have grown them here), 

 and that there are some mountain forms, or varieties, 

 which have culms only 1 foot or less in length. Mr. 

 J. T. Gould, of New York, is quoted by Dr. Vasey as 

 having found it to grow in almost every kind of soil, 

 but as attaining its greatest perfection in a rich moist 

 one. Professor Phares, of Mississipi (quoted by Dr. 



