BLUE-JOINT GRASS. 53 



tufts. The stems are more or less clustered, the clustering depending 

 on the character of the soil. They are rather firm in texture, from 

 two to five feet high, reddish-brown or bluish-red below. This is 

 why the plant is called Blue-joint Grass. The leaves are numerous, 

 broad, long and very rough. The flowers are in a large panicle, 

 built up after the fashion of that of Red Top, and generally reddish- 

 brown. For this reason Blue-joint Grass is improperly called Red 

 Top in many places in western Canada. Although the panicles are 

 somewhat alike, the differences between the two species are pro- 

 nounced. The easiest and most accurate way to identify them is 

 to examine the flowers. Blue-joint Grass has only one flower in 

 each spikelet, just as Red Top, but the flower has an awn and is 

 surrounded at its base by a tuft of white, silky hairs, very conspic- 

 uous and of about the length of the flower itself. Such hairs are 

 never present at the base of the flower of Red Top. 



Geographical distribution: Blue-joint Grass is indigenous to 

 Canada and the northern parts of the United States. 



Habitat: It occurs naturally in moist meadows and marches, 

 along rivers and creeks, at the border of lakes, etc., and generally 

 on bottom lands where the ground is wet. 



Agricultural value: Sometimes it occupies large areas, to the 

 exclusion of other grasses. Hay from such areas is said to be of excel- 

 lent quality and relished by all kinds of stock. It is also said to be 

 palatable and nutritious a long time after flowering. Although experi- 

 ments are necessary to confirm this statement, there is no reason to 

 deny it and there is some evidence to support it. Attempts to grow 

 Blue-joint Grass from seed, made at one of the experiment stations 

 of the United States, were unsuccessful, the seeds seeming to lack 

 vitality. This may mean that no seeds, or very few, are developed, 

 as is the case in Reed Grass (Phragmites communis Trin.). Should 

 this be true, it would be easy to understand how the grass keeps its 

 nutritive qualities after flowering. As has been pointed out in the 

 description of Meadow Foxtail, the nutritious constituents are used 

 for the formation of the seed. Should no seed develop, the nutriment 

 remains in the hay, thus making it valuable even after flowering. 



As a matter of fact, little is known about the feeding value of 

 Blue-joint Grass. It may be an important addition to Canadian 

 forage plants, but nothing positive can be said at present. It is of 

 special value for very wet soil, as it grows in places too wet for even 

 such moisture-loving plants as Red Top. 



