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J. STECKLER SEED CO., LTD., ALMANAC AND 



growth and extent of surface, and will continue indefinitely, though easily subdued by 

 the plow. 



Cut before maturing seeds it makes a good hay and large quantity. It seems to grow 

 taller in the Southern States than it does further North, and to make more and better hay 

 and grazing. Red 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 Red Top will finally 

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



Sow about two bushels (28 lbs.) per acre, if alone, in September, October, February 

 or March ; if with Timothy for hav, from 6 to 10 pounds, if with other grasses for pasture, 

 3 to 5 pounds. It is an exqe.ljhent pasturage grass, and will grow on almost any kind of 

 soil. 



KENTUCKY BI,UE GRASS. 



Poa Pratensis. 



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

 green grass, 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. Compressa, fiat stalked 

 meadow grass, wire grass, blue grass is blue, 4 the true blue' grass 

 from which the genus received its trivial name. 



Kentucky Blue Grass, with its underground stems and many 

 roots, sustains the heat and drought of the Southern States as well 

 as that 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, or bottom land, if not too 

 wet and too poor. Tt may be sown any time from September to 

 April, preferable perhaps in the latter half of February or early 

 in March. The best catch we ever had was sown the 20th of 

 March, on unbroken land, from which trash, leaves, etc., had just been burned. The sur- 

 face 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 compacting the 

 surface in order to prevent the seed from sinking too deep in the ground. Without har- 

 rowing or brushing in, many of them get in too deep to come up, even when the surface 

 of the laud 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; anil 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 men- 

 tioned 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 

 two bushels should be used; in mixtures, 4 to 6 pounds. 



Kentucky Blue Grass. 



ENGLISH, or PERENNIAL RYE GRASS. 



Lolium Pei'enne. 



This is the first grass cultivated in England over two cen- 

 turies 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 great variety of soils and conditions, and 

 a vast number (seventy or more) of varieties produced, some 

 of which were greatly improved while others were inferior and 

 became annuals. Introduced into the United States in the 

 first quarter of the current century it has never become very 

 papular, although shown by the subjoined analysis of Way 

 not to be deficient in nutritive matter. In 100 parts of the 

 dried grass cut in bloom were albumoids 11.S5, fatty matter 

 3.17, heat producing principles 42.24, wood fibre 35.20, ash 



English Rye Grass. 



