92 FARM GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



beef-cattle attain their highest development in this 

 country. Were it not for its habit of remaining dor- 

 mant during the dry, warm months of summer, the 

 length of time required to secure a good stand of it, 

 and its comparatively low j-ield of forage, blue-grass 

 would indeed leave nothing to be desired as a pasture- 

 grass on soils to which it is suited. This is rather a 

 formidable array of objedlions to bring against the 

 "king of pasture grasses," but they are real, and 

 the very general dependence on blue-grass for pastures 

 leads many American farmers to the conclusion that 

 they cannot afford to keep good land in pasture. This 

 is particularly true in sedlions where the dairy industr\- 

 is important. But in those portions of the country in 

 which the produdlion of beef is the leading feattu^e of 

 farming, blue-grass pastures occupy much of the most 

 productive land; in fadl, good pastures are indispens- 

 able to the economical produdlion of first-class beef 

 and in raising horses on a large scale. For this reason 

 we find these two industries most highly developed in 

 the sections where blue-grass is at its best. 



Throughout the southern portion of its distribution 

 this grass is called ' ' blue-grass "or " Kentucky blue- 

 grass." In Iowa and the central parts of Illinois, 

 Indiana, and Ohio, the name ' ' blue-grass ' ' is generally 

 used, while farther north it is generally known as 

 "June grass." 



The name ' ' Kentucky blue-grass ' ' originated from 

 the fadt that the grass first became prominent in that 

 State. There are now. sedlions of Iowa, Missouri, and 

 Illinois in which blue-grass is nearly or quite as pro- 

 dudtive and as much prized as it is in the Blue-Grass 



