REDTOP AND ORCHARD-GRASS 159 
is somewhat amusing to read the severe condemnations 
of orchard-grass—and timothy, too, for that matter—in 
English books on grasses of the early part of the last 
century, on account of its coarseness. This idea crops 
out, to some extent, in American literature; but there is 
nothing to support it. If stock relish a grass and it 
is nutritious, then the coarser the better—if coarseness 
adds to the amount of forage it yields. Corn is rather 
a coarse grass, yet it is the most valuable of all grasses. 
Sorghum is another coarse grass that makes hay, and 
particularly green feed, of excellent quality. 
Another advantage orchard-grass possesses is its 
greater length of life. If properly treated an orchard- 
grass meadow continues to make good yields for many 
years, but, like most other perennial grasses, it pro- 
duces more the first cropping season than ever after- 
ward, except under unusual weather conditions, and 
it is doubtful if a farmer would be justified in keep- 
ing an orchard-grass meadow down more than two 
or three years. It also possesses marked advantages 
as a pasture-grass if grazed systematically. It bears 
cropping and trampling better than timothy, but does 
not continue to improve in old pasture-lands, as blue- 
grass does. It is worthy of a place in grass mixtures 
wherever it will thrive. It is stated by many writers 
that sheep are especially fond of it. 
The author can state from experience that horses 
and cattle eat it readily in pastures, but if mixed with 
other grasses and clover, and poorly managed, orchard- 
grass is inclined to outgrow the other constituents of 
the mixture, and when clumps of it attain considerable 
hight, stock neglect it for more tender herbage. If 
