For the Southern States. 77 
KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS. 
{Poa Pratensis.) 
This is called also 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 y hat-stalked meadow grass, 
wire grass, blue grass is blue, ‘the true blue’ grass 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 valuable among Eng-, 
lish farmers except in mixtures. It is certainly a very desirable pas¬ 
ture grass however. Its very narrow leaves, one, two or more feet 
long, are in such profusion and cover the ground to such depth with 
their luxuriant growth that a mere description could give no one an 
adequate idea of its beauty, quantity and value ; that is on rich land. 
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 continue 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 iired, it would burn off clean. 
But this occurs in Kentucky, where indeed it has seemed, without fire, 
to disappear utterly; 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 th^ spears of grass small as tine 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 
