Fufhard Frotschers Almanac and Garden Manual 



have had it grown luxuriantly even in beech woods, where the root? 

 are superficial, in the crotches of roots and close to the trunks of trees. 

 The hay is of high ciuality,. and the young grass contains a larger per 

 centage of nutritive digestible matter than any other grass. It thrives 

 well without any renewal on the same ground for thirty-flve, nay 

 forty years ; how much longer, I am not able to say. It is easily exter- 

 minated when the land i? desired for other crops. Is there any other 

 grass for which so much can be said? 



RED TOP ORASS. 



[Agro-sti? Vidgari^i.} 



This is the best grass of England, the herd grass of the Southern 

 States : not in honor of any man, but, probably, because so well adapted 

 to the herd. It is called also Fine Top, Burden's and Borden's Grass. 

 Varying greatly in characters, according to soil, location, climate and 

 culture, some botanists have styled it A. Fohimorplia. It grows two to 

 three feet high, and I have mown it when four feet high. It grows 

 well on hill-tops and sides, in ditches, gullies and marshes, but de- 

 lights in moist bottom land. It is not injured by overflows, though 

 -omewhat prolonged. In marshy land it produces a very dense, strong 

 network of roots capable of sustaining the weight of men and animals 

 vralking over it. 



It furnishes considerable grazing during warm ''spells" in winter. 

 and in -pring and summer an abundant supply of nutrition. It has 

 a tendency, being very hardy, to increase in density of growth and ex- 

 tent of surface, and will continue indefinitely, though easily subdued 

 by the plow. 



Cut before maturing seed, it nlakes a good hay and large quantity. 

 It seems to grow taller in the Southern States than it does further 

 Xorth, and to make more and better hay and grazing. Bed Top and 

 Timothy, being adapted to the same soil and maturing at the same 

 time, do well together, and produce an excellent hay. But the Bed Top 

 will finally root out Timothy, and if pastured much it will do so sooner. 



Sow about two bushels (24 lbs.) per acre, if alone, in September, 

 October, February, or March ; if with Timothy for hay, from G to 10 

 pounds : if with other grasses for pasture, .3 to 5 pounds. It is an ex- 

 cellent pasture grass, and will grow on almost any kind of soil. 



KEXTrCKY BLUE GRASS. 



(Foa Frat^n^i^., 



This is also called smooth meadow grass, spear grass, and green 

 irrass, all three very appropriate, 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. comjyy^essa. flat-stalked meadow grass, 

 wire grass, blue grass is blue, "the true blue" crrass 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 valutble among Eng- 

 lish farmers except in mixtures. It is certainly a very desirable pas- 

 tare grass however. It? very narrow leaves, one, two or more feet 



