A SECOND OHIO WEED MANUAL. 311 



45 Wire-grass, Flat-stemmed Blue-grass, (P) *Poa compressa L. While 

 of much more value than most of the preceding-, this grass, by its creep- 

 ing rootstocks, tends to crowd out more valuable sorts. In the light soils 

 of southeastern Ohio this is generally the case. In mowing, the flat stems are 

 very hard to cut and this leads to the name of wire-grass; it is also called 

 Canada blue-grass. Upon thin, light soils, where no other grasses can be grown 

 successfully, it will yield rather scant herbage. 



Seeds like Kentucky blue-grass but less downy. Cultivation for one or 

 more years in some summer crop is necessary to kill out wire-grass satisfac- 

 torily. This result is not secured by taking a single crop of wheat and 

 reseeding. 



46 May-grass, Low Spear-grass (A) *Poa annua L. This is a low grass 

 scarcely reaching a foot in height, growing from seed each year. It strikingly 

 resembles blue-grass except in the height, the more compact form of the panicle 

 and its early heading out. Very many specimens have been sent the season of 

 1905 for identification, commonly by those who thought it might prove useful as 

 a lawn grass, which it cannot from its annual nature. The writer looks upon 

 it as an incumbrance in lawns, which may be mastered, except for the occasional 

 wet seasons. The seeds are larger than those of wire-grass, about 3-16 inch 

 long, with sparing woolly-hairiness and of appearance shown in the weed seed 

 illustrations. See plates of seed cuts. 



47 Chess, Cheat (A) *Bromus secalinus L. Chess needs no description and 

 no apology for including it in a list of weeds. It is a winter annual. From the 

 fact that it frequently comes in wheat where clean seed has been sown, the notion 

 that wheat turns to chess has gained prevalence. But the chess plant springs 

 from chess seed as certainly as wheat springs from wheat seed. The seeds, 

 however, appear to retain their vitality for a long time and the presence of such 

 seeds in the soil will account for its appearance under some circumstances. 

 The vitality of buried seeds has been already discussed. 



Seeds slender 5-16 to 3-8 in. long, with adhering glumes. Occasionally found 

 in wheat, in oats and in clover seed. Distinguished from oats by darker color 

 and smaller size of grain. 



Chess, like wheat, dies after seeding. To prevent seed from ripening and 

 to avoid sowing chess in other seeds is the remedy. It may be pulled out of the 

 grain fields when present in limited amount. Ground may be freed from buried 

 seeds by thorough, continuous cultivation. 



48 Soft Chess (A) *Bromus hordeaceus L. This 

 chess-grass is distinguished from the common cheat by 



its soft-hairy character and commonly shorter culms. 

 It is less likely to be introduced than cheat but is fre- 

 quently met with, and for that reason must be distin- 

 guished from the commoner species. 



49 Slender Chess (A) *B*omus tectorum L. Slender 

 chess is occasionally found in different parts of the state. 

 It is gradually becoming introduced. The whole plant 

 is lax, the panicles somewhat one-sided and covered 

 with fine down. It should be destro} T ed in the same 

 manner as cheat. 



50 Perennial Rye-grass, Darnel, (P) * Lolium perenne 

 L. The seeds of the common darnel, Fig. 10, are some- 



p IO times sent out for meadow fescue, Festuca elatior L., 



erraas. which they closely resemble. It is also spontaneous 



{After Mills faugh.) quite generally. In moist climates it is a reliable past- 

 ure grass for strong soils. While not ranking as a noxious weed it is here 

 included that it may be distinguished from more valuable grasses. 



