78 



EICHAED FEOTSCHEE's ALMANAC AND GAEDEN MANUAL 



Sow about two bushels (28 lbs.) per acre, 

 if alone, in September, October, Febrtiary, 

 or March; if ^^itli Timothy for hay, from 

 € 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 

 Mad of soil 



KENTUCKY BLUE CRASS. 



(Foa Praiensis. ) 



This is also called smooth meadow grass, 

 spear grass, and green gi-ass, all three very 

 appropriate, characteristic names. But 

 Elue is a misnomer for this grass. It is 

 not blue, but green as gi-ass, and the 

 greenest of grasses. The P. compressa, 

 jiat-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, although 

 esteemed in some parts of America as the 

 best of all pasture grasses, seems not to be 

 considered very valuable among Enghsh 

 farmers esceiDt in mixtures. It is certainly 

 a very desirable pasture grass however. • 

 Its veiy narrow leaves, one, two or more 

 feet long, are in such profusion, and cover 

 the ground to such depth with their luxu- 

 riant growth, that a mere description 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 di'ought 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 faU, so that the 

 ends of the leaves, being 

 killed by the frost, 

 afford an ample covering 

 for the under-part which 

 continue to grow all 

 winter, and afford a good 

 bite whenever required 

 by sheep, cattle, hogs 

 and horses. In pro- 

 longed summer drought 

 it dries completely, so that, if fired, it would 

 burn off clean. But this occurs in Kentucky, 

 where indeed it has seemed without fire, to 

 disappear utterly; yet, when rain came, the 

 bright green spears promptly recarpeted the 

 earth. 



"STith its underground stems and many roots, 

 it sustains the heat and drought "^of the 

 Southern States as weU as those of Kentucky, 

 where indeed it is subjected to severer trial s 

 of this kind than in the more Southern States. 



Kentuckv Blue Grass. 



Red Top Grass. 



In fa<;t, it bears the vicissitudes of our cUmate 

 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 Apiil, 

 preferably perhaps in the latter half of Febru- 

 ary, or early in March. The best catch I ever 

 had was sown the 20th of March, on unbroken 

 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 recently plowed and harrowed, it should 

 be rolled also. The last proceeding is for com- 

 pacting 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 sjDears of grass small as fine needles, 

 and therefore unable to get out from under 

 heavy cover. These spears are so small as to 

 be invisible, except to close examination; and 

 in higher latitudes, this condition continues 

 through the first year. Thus, some who have 

 sown the blue grass seed, seeing the first year 

 no grass, imagine they have been cheated, 

 plant some other crop, and probably lose what 

 close inspection would have shown to be a good 

 catch. This, however, is not apt to occur in 

 the Southern tier of States, as the growth here 

 is more rapid. The sowing mentioned above 

 made on the 20th of March, came up prompt- 

 ly, and in three months the grass was from six 

 to ten inches high. One year here gives a 



