ARTIFICIAL EESEEDING OIT WESTERIT MOUNTAIN" RANGE LANDS 19 



OECHAED GRASS 



Orchard grass {Dwctylis glomerata) produces an excellent stand of 

 tender green forage when sown in a fairly moist soil but does not do 

 so well where summers are cool and short. It is best adapted to sites 

 where there is an ample supply of moisture, and it thrives in lime- 

 stone soils. Orchard grass is better adapted to grow in the shade 

 than most of the cultivated species and consequently can be used to 

 advantage under timber which is not too dense. Under favorable 

 conditions it forms tufts 6 to 8 inches in diameter. It withstands 

 fairly close grazing and is slow to die out when once established. 

 On favorable sites it does best in thick stands, since the herbage then 

 does not get woody. Fifteen to twenty pounds of seed per acre is 

 generally required to produce such a stand. Twelve pounds per acre 

 is recommended for range purposes when there is little danger of the 

 plants becoming woody. 



Orchard grass has been satisfactorily employed in reseeding logged- 

 over lands in western Oregon {13). The slash is burned in the fall 

 and the seed sown on the ashes then or on snow late the following 

 winter. Sowing on packed snow is easier and makes for more even 

 and sure distribution. Good stands have been obtained with both 

 methods. Late spring seeding has invariably given poor results. 

 When 15 pounds of seed per acre was sown in 1920, the costs varied 

 between $2.16 and $3.08 per acre. The carrying capacity becomes 

 about 10 to 12 surface acres per cow for the 7-month grazing season. 

 Rentals per head for unfenced reseeded lands in this locality vary 

 from about $1.50 for a short season to $2.50 for practically a year- 

 long term. 



Orchard grass as a pasture and hay plant is discussed else- 

 where {2Jf). 



ITALIAN RYEGRASS 



The effective range of this species {Lolium multvflorum) is limited 

 to localities where the climate is warm and moist, such as the Pacific 

 coast. Although, under farming conditions, Italian ryegrass is re- 

 garded as an annual, it is really a biennial or triennial grass and 

 has to be started from seed the second, third, or fourth year. This, 

 of course, eliminates it from serious consideration for seeding at high 

 elevations or where drought would affect seed production. However, 

 it produces a good stand of excellent forage early after sowing and 

 consequently is of considerable value when mixed with a slow-start- 

 ing perennial such as Kentucky bluegrass. When sown in mixture 

 with other grasses or clovers about 8 to 10 pounds of Italian ryegrass 

 seed per acre is recommended {3). Perennial ryegrass {Lolium 

 perenne) probably has possibilities in the better range lands of mod- 

 erate temperatures but trials with it have thus far been too limited 

 to warrant any definite recommendation. 



TAUL, OR MEADOW, FESCTJE 



Although this species {Festuca elatiorY has not been tried out 

 extensively under western range conditions it has given some fairly 



« Festuca pratensis, the meadow fescue of the seedsman, is a synonym ; it is smaller 

 than typical forms of F, elatior. 



