THE BLUE-GRASSES 101 



tures. In the Northern Rocky Mountain States and 

 in the Pacific Northwest many varieties of this 

 species are found in the wild state, and they not in- 

 frequently appear among the grasses on the farms. 

 It is not very highly prized in those regions because 

 of its low 3'ield of forage. Alfalfa, timothy, redtop, 

 and orchard-grass all do well there, and yield much 

 more feed. In a few limited areas in the State of 

 Washington, especially in the western part, blue- 

 grass is a troublesome weed. The variety found there 

 grows very rank, and sends out formidable under- 

 ground stems that make it difficult to eradicate. 



Blue-grass is the universal lawn grass in the north- 

 ern half of the United States, and it has no equal for 

 this purpose where the soil is suitable and there is 

 abundant water to keep it green during the summer. 

 White clover is usually sown with it in lawns; indeed, 

 it does better when mixed with white clover. These 

 two plants are especially adapted to each other. The 

 clover enriches the soil in nitrogen, greatly to the ad- 

 vantage of the grass. 



CANADA BLUE-GRASS (Poa compressa) 



This grass is of interest chiefly from the facfl that 

 its seed is sometimes used to adulterate the seed of 

 Kentucky blue-grass. It has some value for pasture 

 purposes on sandy soils in the far North. It also does 

 well on poor clay soils where Kentucky blue-grass 

 fails. It is also a fairly good lawn grass for dry re- 

 gions, but must be kept closely mown. If allowed to 

 grow up, its wiry stems, when cut back, leave a coarse, 

 hard stubble, very undesirable in a lawn. In color it 



