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differences which are quite natural on account of the perplexing variability 
of the different species. In the following the writer will endeavour to 
present, in a critical and analytical form, his conception of the relationship 
of the various species and varieties of the genus Agrostis which are of 
commercial interest to Canada. 
TRADE VARIETIES AND THEIR TECHNICAL NAMES 
In most Canadian seed catalogues only three so-called varieties of 
bent grasses are listed, viz., Redtop, Creeping bent, and Rhode Island 
bent. Occasionally the names Herd’s grass and Fiorin occur, and quite 
recently the name Prince Edward Island bent has been introduced by a 
few seedsmen. 
In Canada, the name Redtop is generally applied to the tallest and 
agriculturally most important species of the bent grasses (Plate XIV, 
figure 1). It grows anywhere from 1 to 3 feet high or more and generally 
possesses runners or stolons which are either wholly underground or from 
a subterranean start develop into upright, aerial, leafy shoots. On account 
of its upright growth and plentiful foliage it is of importance as a hay 
grass, especially on wet land. Its relative coarseness, however, and in 
many cases rather pronounced lack of durability, when cut close to the 
ground, make it not nearly as well adapted to lawns and greens as some 
of the other bent grasses. 
Of thirteen Canadian seed catalogues which the writer has had an 
opportunity to examine, ten have the name Agrostis vulgaris for Redtop; 
two call it Agrostis alba, and one Agrostis stolonifera. In “The Seeds Act, 
1923,” administered by the Seed Branch, Dominion Department of Agri- 
culture, it was originally listed as A. alba. In the edition of October, 
1926, the name was changed, at the writer’s suggestion, to Agrostis stolon- 
ifera var. major. In “Standardized Plant Names”, 1923, by Olmsted, 
Coville, and Kelsey, it is called Agrostis palustris, with A. alba , as under- 
stood by Bailey’s Cyclopedia of Horticulture, as a synonym. 
Creeping bent grass, as the name implies, is a grass of a spreading 
habit (Plate XV). By means of runners or stolons which trail on the 
surface of the soil and freely root at the nodes it quickly forms a dense 
and continuous sod. It thrives best on moist land and is particularly well 
suited for lawns and greens which can be adequately supplied with water. 
Creeping bent is no uniform variety, in a botanical sense, but under that 
name are included many more or less sharply defined races of a similar, 
creeping habit. The majority of the Creeping bent races produce com- 
paratively few and short, scantily leaved stems. It is, therefore, not 
nearly as valuable for hay as is Redtop, but will, on account of its dense 
bottom growth, lend itself well to pasture, especially on wet land. 
Creeping bent grass appears in Canadian seed catalogues under the 
name of Agrostis stolonifera. “The Seeds Act, 1923”, originally used the 
name Agrostis stolonifera, variety. In “The Seeds Act, 1923”, edition of 
October, 1926, it appears, at the writer’s suggestion, under the name of 
Agrostis stolonifera var. compacta. 
Rhode Island bent grass (Plate XIV, figure 2) grows upright like 
Redtop, but is of a lower stature and of a much finer texture. It is generally 
rather loosely tufted, with a dense bottom growth of short, leafy shoots. 
In some of its many races creeping surface stolons are developed, but these 
