COARf^E FEEDH, OR ROUGHAQE 



103 



horses, as it is thought by some to cause kidney trouble if 

 fed very heavily. The millets may be grown over much of 

 the country. 



Redtop is a fine grass in appearance, and makes an excel- 

 lent pasture. It is quite common in certain sections North 

 and South, but is not generally abundant in the cooler grass- 

 growing sections, probably doing better on the damper low- 

 lands than elsewhere. It makes a very palatable and 

 nutritious hay, with a chemical composition quite similar to 

 Kentucky blue grass. 



Orchard grass is common in some sections in the north- 

 eastern parts of the United States. It grows in tussocks, 

 or bunches, so that the 

 turf from this plant is 

 somewhat uneven ; hence 

 it is not liked so well as 

 some other grasses for 

 pasture. It starts up 

 early in spring, and has 

 a strong, rather coarse 

 growth, with hardly as 

 smooth a stem as timo- 

 thy. It is not quite as 

 nutritious as timothy, 

 ranking just below it. It may be grown to advantage with red 

 clover, and often is, in the Middle West. It is best suited for 

 horses and cattle, though it should be cut as hay before getting 

 very ripe. While differing in size and growth from Kentucky 

 blue grass, it has a similar composition in digestible protein 

 and total digestible nutrients. 



Brome grass in recent years has received considerable 

 attention in the Northwest, especially in the Dakotas and 

 in Western Canada. Here it has become a very important 

 cultivated grass, occupying a position similar to that of 

 timothy in the northern corn l)elt, but which grass it excels 



Figure 22. — A Kood cover for the hay stack 

 Photograph by Prof. A. G. McCall. 



