162 FARM GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 
ington, and northwestern California. Along the 
Pacific Coast west of the Cascade Mountains orchard- 
grass thrives remarkably well, and this is one se¢tion 
in which it vies with timothy in a timothy region. 
The worst disadvantage which it possesses in this sec- 
tion is its earliness. In all the region west of the 
Rocky Mountains the rains fall mostly in winter, 
while the summers are dry. West of the Cascades in 
Oregon, and more particularly in Washington, orchard- 
grass is frequently ready to cut before the spring rains 
are over, and it is therefore not always possible to cure 
the hay. Timothy comes on about ten days later, and 
thus stands a better chance of finding favorable haying 
weather. This objection does not hold east of the 
Cascades and in the Rocky Mountain region. In the 
Mountain States orchard-grass is much prized as a 
companion to alfalfa. It matures with the first cut- 
ting of alfalfa, and improves the quality of the hay. 
It is also a valuable grass to mix with alfalfa for pas- 
tures, greatly reducing the risk from bloat, and it has 
no tendency to spread and choke out the alfalfa. 
Orchard-grass occurs sparingly throughout the 
timothy region, but is nowhere an important grass in 
that area, except in a few small sections previously 
mentioned. It is used considerably in New England 
and adjoining States as a constituent of meadow and 
pasture mixtures, and probably deserves to be much 
more generally used for pasture purposes all over the 
Northern States. 
Orchard-grass seed, as found on the markets, is 
usually of good quality. It weighs about 14 lbs. per 
bushel. When grown for seed, it yields ordinarily 15 
