88 



illCHAKD FROfSCHEK^S ALMANAC AND (^ARt)EN MANTJAL 



same soil and maturing at the same 

 time do well together, and produce an 

 excellent hay. But the Eed Top will 

 finally root oat Timothy, and if past- 

 ured much it will do so sooner. 

 Sow about two bushels (28 lbs.) per 



acre, if alone, in September, October, 

 February, or March; if with Timothy 

 for hay, from 6 to 10 pounds; if with 

 other grasses for pasture, 3 to 5 pounds. 

 It is an excellent pasture grass, and 

 will grow on almost any kind of soil. 



KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS 



Kentuckv Blue Grass. 



(Poa Pratensis.) 



This is also called 

 smooth meadow 

 grass, spear grass, 

 and green grass, all 

 three very appropri- 

 ate, characteristic 

 names. But Blue is 

 a misnomer for this 

 grass. It is not blue, 

 but green as grass, 

 and the greenest of 

 grasses. The P. com- 

 pressa, flat-stalked 

 meadow grass, wire 

 grass, blue grass is 

 blue, 'the true blue' 



grass from which 

 the genus received its trivial name. 



Kentucky blue grass, known also in 

 the Eastern States as June grass, al- 

 though esteemed in some parts of 

 America as the best of all pasture grass- 

 es, seems not to be considered very 

 valuable among English farmers except 

 in mixtures. It is certainly a very de- 

 sirable pasture grass however. Its very 

 narrow leaves, one, two or more feet 

 long, are in such profusion, and cover 

 the ground to such depth with their 

 luxuriant growth, that a mere descrip- 

 tion could give no one an adequate idea 

 of its beauty, quantity, and value ; that 

 is on rich land. On poor, sandy land, 

 it degenerates sadly, as do other things 

 uncongenially located. 



Perennial, and bearing cold and 

 drought well, it furnishes grazing a large 

 part of the year. It is specially valuable 

 as a winter and spring grass for the 

 South. To secure the best winter results, 

 it should be allowed a good growth in 

 early fall, so that the ends of the leaves, 

 being killed by the frost, afford an ample 



covering for the under-part which con- 

 tinue to grow all winter, and afford a 

 good bite whenever required by sheep, 

 cattle, hogs and horses. In prolonged 

 summer drought it dries completely, so 

 that, if fired, it would burn off clean. 

 But this occurs in Kentucky, where in- 

 deed it has seemed without fire, to dis- 

 appear utterly; yet, when rain came, 

 the bright green spears promptly re- 

 carpeted the earth. 



With its underground stems and many 

 roots, it sustains the heat and drought 

 of the Southern States as well as those 

 of Kentucky, where indeed it is sub- 

 jected to severer trials of this kind than 

 in the more Southern States. In fact, 

 it bears the vicissitudes of our climate 

 about as well as Bermuda grass, and is 

 nearly as nutritious. 



Blue grass grows well on hill tops, 

 or bottom lands, if not too wet and too 

 poor. It may be sown any time from 

 September to April, preferably perhaps 

 in the latter half of February, or early 

 in March. The best catch I ever had 

 was sown the 20th of March, on un- 

 broken land, from which trash, leaves, 

 etc., had just been burned. The surface 

 of the land should be cleaned of trash 

 of all kinds, smooth, even ; and if re- 

 cently plowed and harrowed, it should 

 be rolled also. The last proceeding is 

 for compacting the surface in order to 

 prevent the seed from sinking too deep 

 in the ground. Without harrowing or 

 brushing in, many of them get in too 

 deep to come up, even when the surface 

 of the land has had the roller over it. 

 The first rain after seeding will put them 

 in deep enough, as the seeds are very 

 minute, and the spears of grass small as 

 fine needles, and therefore unable to 



