84 Richard Frotscher’s Almanac and Garden Manual 
On poor, sandy land, it degenerates sadly, as do other things uncon- 
genially 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 frost, afford an ample covering for the under-parts 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 indeed it has seemed without fire, to disappear utter- 
ly; yet, when rain came, the bright green spears promptly recarpeted 
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 subjected 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, slopes, 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 
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. 
This 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 
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 promptly, and in three months the grass was from six 
to ten inches high. One year here gives a finer growth and show than 
two in Kentucky, or any other State so far North. 
Sown alone, 20 to 26 pounds, that is, 2 bushels, should be used; in 
mixtures, 4to 6 pounds. 
ENGLISH OR PERENNIAL RYE GRASS. 
(Lolium Perenne.) 
This is the first grass cultivated in England over two centuries ago, 
and at a still more remote period in France. It was long more widely 
known and cultivated than any other grass, became adapted to a 
