Growth. 
Development. 
Yield. 
Nutritive 
value. 
Seed harvest. 
28 
Growth. Yield. Nutritive value. Italian rye-grass forms compact tufts of leaves. Frequent 
rolling is necessary to keep the grass uniform. 
From the time of sowing, no other grass grows and developes so rapidly as this. 
Fulton states that in England he has seen it grow as much as 2 inches in a day after 
an application of liquid manure. On irrigated meadows it often attains a height of 16—20 
inches 3 weeks after mowing. Dickinson, in a favourable season, could obtain a good cut- 
ting every 3—6 weeks. It may be sown either in spring or in autumn, in the former case, 
the yield is at its maximum the same year, in the latter, the next year. 
Karmrodt obtained the following produce per acre: — 
4st year  . —- 841.88 lbs. of hay, 
See ~ 4885822 ES 
aii 3120 eee 
east a We. 2 = 
The produce usually becomes scant in the third year, it is therefore advisable to break 
up the grass after a two years ley. 
It begins to shoot early in the spring and continues growing late in autumn. In Lom- 
bardy and in England, it may be cut from March to autumn, often as late as December. 
It comes into flower, for the first time, about the end of May, or the beginning of June, 
and produces after-math till autumn. The first cutting is usually most productive, but 
the others are very little less. It should always be cut before flowering, because at that 
period, the culms become hard, losing thereby flavour and nutritive value. 
The yield is exceedingly variable. 
By the use of liquid manure Lord Essex obtained 17,600 Ibs. of hay per acre; the Marquis of 
Ailsa 17,600—22,000 lbs.; Finnie 7,260 lbs.; Ralston 33,800 lbs.; Telfer 30,800—39,600 Ibs.; Neilson 
22.800—28,160 Ibs. and Dickinson on an average 30,800 Ibs. On the continent, the yields are usually 
lower, Pinkert & Rathusius obtained 26,400 Ibs. of hay per acre; Karmrodt 5,630 lbs.; Pastor Thieme 
9.590 lbs., and Stecher 13,290 Ibs. In France Vianne reports in various experiments, 28,600 Ibs. of hay 
per acre. Large produce can only be obtained by copious manuring, more especially with liquid manures, 
but, on an unfavorable soil, the produce is always poor. 
The nutritive value is superior to that of perennial rye-grass, as is shown by the 
composition. According to Wolff 100 Ibs. of hay contain : — 
‘ ; 77.9 °/o 
Organic matter : 
composed of: 
Abumin (Nitrogen < 6.25). . 44.2 °%/o portion assimilated 7.4 °/o 
Fibre : ; ; 22.9 ,, | el 
Non-nitrogenous .extractives , ee A064 - sg RE 
Fat. ; : ‘ Sram . ., A , 
Ratio of nitrogenous to non-nitrogenous nutriment 1 : 6.3 
Harvesting, impurities and adulteration of seed. Like perennial rye-grass, Italian yields 
a large quantity of seed which is easily harvested, and hence very profitable to the grower. 
The seed is taken from the second cutting; in Scotland, often from the first. In a warm 
summer, two crops of seed may be obtained from the same field. Seed from the first cut- 
ting has usually low germinating power, especially if frost has come on about the time of 
flowering or somewhat later. When two crops are taken, better seed is obtained from the 
second, The remarks regarding ripeness, harvesting, and threshing, of perennial rye-grass 
apply equally to Italian. It should, however, be observed that the seed of Italian rye-grass 
