oO” 
porary drought, if the soil is deep. In general, drought tends to make it poor and stunted, 
and so in dry ground, it cannot at all succeed. 
Meadow fescue thrives best on moist soils which are rich in humus, whether marls, 
or clays. It can also be grown on sandy soils if they are sufficiently moist, or can be irri- 
sated, as well as on moist calcareous soils. Any drained soil rich in humus satisfies it. 
Little produce can be obtained from poor soils which are dry, or shallow, or liable to be 
scorched. 
According to Witting, 1000 lbs. of hay remove from the soil : — 
Nitrogen , . . . 43,3 Ibs. Magnesia . . . . 3.9 Ibs. 
Phosphoric acid . . 7.4 ,, Line* AP. Radi, pc? 
Pont fw OE SZhin an, Sulphuric acid . . 4.7 ,, 
SOR 9 a Rie te ey | aoeeie’s, SiliGa “= pte a wl ee! 
From the fact that this grass delights in soils which are rich in humus, it follows 
that it will thrive best with well rotted manure. Fresh manure is, however, not at all 
disadvantageous. 
Wollny manured a plot of ground with 660 gals. of liquid manure per acre; the produce per 
acre was: 
Green. Dry. 
Manured plot . . . « 414,750 Ibs. 2,950 Ibs, 
Unmanured plol . . . 3,960 ,, 1,190 ,, 
Meadow fescue is as well adapted for irrigation as any other grass, and it should al- 
ways be represented on irrigated grass-land. 
Growth, Yield, Nutritive value. Meadow fescue forms compact tufts of grass. The 
culms are numerous and tall, 2 to 3 feet in height. The culm-leaves are also numerous, 
long, and broad. When the conditions are unfavorable i. e. on dry, poor soils, the produce 
is much reduced : — the culms become low, and their leaves, short and narrow. 
After sowing, development is relatively slow, the main yield being obtained in the 
second and third years. Vianne obtained the following yield of grass per acre - 
1st year 44,740 lbs. 
ae kee 
It commences to grow early in spring, so that, when soil and season are favorable, 
3 good cuttings may be obtained. Sinclair says: »In point of early produce in the spring, 
this grass stands next to Meadow foxtail«. It comes into flower about the end of May or 
the beginning of June, a few days later than Cocksfoot and False oat-grass. 
It becomes hard after flowering; it is therefore advisable to cut it before that time. 
The second cutting produces fewer culms, hence the yield is smaller. 
Sprengel estimates the yield of hay on a good soil at 4400 lbs. per acre. Pinkert obtained from 
a stiff mild sandy loam 4930 Ibs. of hay in two cuttings. Vianne took from a loam, 6030 Ibs. in the 
first year, and 10,340 lbs. of hay in the second. Sinclair obtained from a fertile, peat soil, manured 
with coal ashes, the following produce per acre: — 
Green. Dry. 
46 April . . . . + 40,890 Ibs, -— 
at time of flowering. . 43,612. ,, 6,466 Ibs. 
Soil. 
Substances 
removed 
from the soil. 
Manure. 
Irrigation. 
Growth. 
Development. 
Harvest. 
Yield. 
The grass stands depasturing very well. In England, and on the alluvial soils of Depasturing 
Northern Germany, it usually forms an important constituent of pasture mixtures. 
