148 GRASSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



into forms whicli have been given specific names; of 

 these names the term Herd's grass has by far the widest 

 application. It is the common designation for red top 

 in Pennsylvania, and in all or nearly all of the south- 

 ern states. The name Herd's grass is thought to have 

 been given because of its very general adaptation to 

 the needs of the herd. In all or nearly all the northern 

 states, it is known only or chiefly by the name of red 

 top. In England the term Bent is applied to all, or at 

 least to several, of the forms of this grass. 



Red Top is a perennial grass which gr^ows from a few 

 inches to five feet in height under varying conditions 

 of soil and climate. But the average height is probably 

 18 to 20 inches. In the southern states, it grows 

 taller than in those north. The stems are erect, slender, 

 smooth and round. The linear leaves are probably not 

 so numerous as in timothy. The panicle is oblong and 

 spreading, and though it varies considerably in color 

 under different conditions of growth, the panicle is gen- 

 erally characterized by a purple tint which seems to 

 deepen with increasing luxuriance in the growth of the 

 grass. The roots are more or less creeping and gather 

 food near the surface, rather than from the subsoil. 

 The form known as Creeping Bent has long, prostrate 

 and creeping stems, which take root at every joint. 

 This habit of growth gives it much power to grow on 

 moist soils, or even on somewhat dry sandy soils where 

 other good grasses grow shyly, and eventually to cover 

 them with a stiff sod. The form known as Rhode Is- 

 land Bent, sometimes called Brown Bent and Dog's 



