QUACK GRASS. 235 



■who have written with reference to it, but the tendency 

 now is to call it Quack grass. It is also known by the 

 names Twitch, Quitch, Squitch, Witch, Scutch, Quake, 

 Dog, Durfee, Chandler, Fin's, Rye or Creeping Wheat 

 grass. Dogs occasionally eat of the leaves, since with 

 them it acts medicinally as an emetic, hence the name 

 Dog grass. The terms Rye and Wheat grass have doubt- 

 less arisen from the resemblance of the plants to those of 

 rye and wheat. It varies much and is closely allied to 

 varieties that are not so persistent in the habit of retain- 

 ing a hold upon the soil. 



This perennial grass thickens very quickly in the soil 

 where it once gains a foothold, and to the extent of be- 

 coming so matted or sodbound that the yield of pasture 

 or hay is seriously lessened when the grass is undis- 

 turbed by cultivation. This result arises from the pe- 

 culiar character of the root growth. The strong, stiff 

 creeping root-stocks or rhizomes branch out in every 

 direction and so completely fill the soil that other 

 grasses or weeds cannot grow in the same. The roots 

 are numerously jointed and at each- joint is a bud capa- 

 ble of producing a fresh plant. The plants also grow 

 from seed. The stems grow from 1 to 3 feet in height, 

 the average being 1^ to 2 feet. The heads or spikes are 

 rather slender and usually straight, bearing considerable 

 resemblance to those of wheat. The leaves are of a dark 

 green shade. They bear considerable resemblance to 

 those of timothy near the ground, but they are larger and 

 stronger and of a darker green. 



The good qualities of quack grass may be summed up 

 as follows : 1. It will grow more or less well in almost 



