CHAPTEE IX. 



MEADOW FESCUE. 



The term meadow fescue includes any one of the 

 numerous species of grasses of the genus Festuca. The 

 varieties of this genus are numerous. The most valua- 

 ble of these are Festuca pratensis and Festuca ovina, 

 the former being equally valuable for grazing and fod- 

 der, and the latter for grazing only. Meadow Fescue 

 (Festuca pratensis) sometimes confusingly referred to 

 as Festuca elatior and vice versa is also called Tall Fes- 

 cue, Tall Meadow Fescue, English Blue grass, Randall 

 grass and Evergreen grass. Festuca pratensis and Fes- 

 tuca elatior are really two varieties of Fescue. Some 

 consider the latter as the species and the former as the 

 variety, but Festuca pratensis would seem to be more 

 serviceable to American conditions than the other. The 

 terms Tall Fescue and Tall Meadow Fescue, are, or 

 ought to be, restricted to the variety Festuca elatior. In 

 Virginia meadow fescue is commonly spoken of as Ran- 

 dall grass. In Mississippi, North Carolina and some 

 other states it is called Evergreen grass from the green 

 color which it maintains even amid the snows of win- 

 ter. 



Meadow fescue is a perennial which is somewhat slow 

 in coming to maturity. It is by far the most important 

 and valuable of the many grasses of the fescue family. 



