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has been imported from Europe, occurs in abundance in many parts of 
Canada, perhaps most plentifully in the Maritime Provinces, and especially 
in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Indeed, in certain districts of 
the former province, it occurs in such abundance and is mostly of such 
excellent quality that, with judicious selection of stock from the natural 
supply, a remunerative seed-growing industry, for home consumption as 
well as for export, could, in the writer’s opinion, easily be developed. 
Creeping bent, like other grasses, has, however, its limitations. It 
grows naturally on low-lying land and is rarely found on soil deficient in 
moisture. As it is less well adapted to dry, sandy, or otherwise more or 
less sterile ground, it follows that, although it is excellent for greens that 
can be adequately watered, it is of minor importance for fairways and 
generally for situations naturally lacking in moisture. 
For the latter type of land so-called Rhode Island bent or Brown top 
is much better suited. This grass, which is related to Creeping bent, 
grows naturally in rather dry situations. It is a native of Eurasia and 
Northern Africa, which many years ago was introduced into Canada. At 
present it is particularly abundant on dry land in the Maritime Provinces, 
and especially in Prince Edward Island where it grows practically every- 
where. 
When the Seed Branch, Dominion Department of Agriculture, some 
years ago inquired where in Canada seed of a turf grass of good quality 
might be produced in quantity for commerce, the writer was in the happy 
position of being able to point to Prince Edward Island as probably most 
suitable for the development of a seed-growing industry based on the 
harvesting of seed of the Browntop already growing in profusion in that 
province. The Seed Branch, acting upon the information supplied, has 
in the last few years made good progress in developing a new seed-growing 
industry in Prince Edward Island. In 1925 about 17,000 pounds of 
Browntop seed were harvested there, and for 1926 the crop is estimated 
at some 50,000 pounds. 
In addition, it may be mentioned that a still more valuable turf grass, 
Velvet bent grass, is now being propagated, under the direction of the 
Seed Branch, Dominion Department of Agriculture, from seed harvested 
in Prince Edward Island. 
From the above it is clear that unusually great practical interest is 
at present taken in the commercial bent grasses, and the indications are 
that they may attain, as sources of revenue to seed growers, still greater 
importance in the future. In the writer’s opinion, however, the success 
with which seed growing on a commercial scale may be met will, to a very 
great extent, depend upon the confidence which seedsmen as well as the 
purchasing public will have in the genuineness and trueness to name of 
the seed produced. Such confidence can be obtained only if the character- 
istics of the “varieties” can be precisely defined and if, based thereon, a 
supply of pure seed, true to name, can be offered to the trade. 
At present, tens of thousands of dollars are wasted annually on account 
of a loose and in many cases quite misleading application of so-called 
scientific names to commercial varieties of bent grasses. For this the 
seedsmen must not be criticized too seriously as there exist, as will be seen 
in the following, very great differences of opinion among taxonomic botan- 
ists as to the systematic relationship between the various species and forms, 
