Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/176

 168 GRASSES othy, and its great value is in its permanence as a pasture grass. White-top (agrostis alba) often appears spontaneously in pastures, and is readily distinguished from red-top by its greenish white flowers ; agriculturists are not agreed as to its value. Orchard grass (dactylis glomerata) is next in importance, as it is val- uable for hay, and especially so for pasturage, and it will grow better than most other grasses in the shade of trees. It is a rather coarse spe- cies, grows 3 and even 6 ft. high, and bears a dense branching panicle, on which its several- flowered spikeletsare arranged in crowded, one- sided clusters ; it has a tendency to form tus- socks, which unfits it for lawns ; and for hay or pasturage the seed should be sown very thickly in order to produce a fine herbage. June grass (poa pratensis) is the most valuable of the poas ; it is also known as smooth-stalked meadow grass, green grass, and Kentucky blue grass. By reason of its creeping root stocks it rapidly forms a dense turf, and is more valued for the pasture than the meadow; but it is used for hay, its after-math or second cutting being heavier than the first. It adapts itself to a wide range of country, and endures ex- treme cold without injury; it forms a large portion of the best pastures of Europe as well as of this country. Varying greatly in different soils and climates, it has received a number of local names besides those already given. It attains its greatest luxuriance in the limestone regions of Kentucky, where it spontaneously takes possession of the land, or "comes in," as the farmers say. The blue-grass pastures of Kentucky have long been celebrated, and at one time it was supposed that the grass was a peculiar one; but it is now well ascertained that it is only the common June grass grow- ing in a peculiarly genial soil and climate. So variable is this species that the English wri- ters on grasses recognize a half dozen or more named varieties. Other species of poa are found in our fields and pastures, the principal of which are the fowl meadow grass or false red- top (P. serotina), and the roughish meadow grass (P. trivialis), which resembles June grass, but blooms in moist meadows nearly a month later. The tall fescue (festuca elatior), though rarely sown, often appears in meadows and pastures ; the sheep's fescue (F. ovina) and the hard fescue (var. duriuscula) grow upon sandy hard soils, and in some localities form the bulk of the sheep pasturage. The tall meadow- oat grass (avena elatior) was some years ago overpraised as " the grass of the Andes," and fell into disrepute ; but it has latterly been re- garded with more favor, and is valued by those who have cultivated it. Meadow foxtail (alope- curus pratensis) is highly prized as a pasture grass in England, and is sparingly introduced into this country; it has a resemblance to timothy, but the structure of the flowers is dUbrent, and it is much more soft to the touch. Sweet-scented vernal grass, the odor of which baa been already mentioned, is common in meadows, though it is rarely sown; while it adds to the enjoyment of the haying season, it is of no agricultural value. Under the name of rescue grass, a plant was much lauded in Europe a few years ago as something that would rescue fields from sterility and farmers FIG. .Buffalo Grass (Buchloo dactyloides). 1. Male. 2. Female. from ruin ; the seed was sold as ~bromus ScJira- deri, but it is probably a form of bromus unio- loides, and of little value. Italian rye grass is a form of the variable lolium perenne, other varieties of which are known as Russell's, Pacey's, and Stickney's rye grasses ; it is val- uable for hay, pasturage, or soiling, especially on irrigated meadows. Annual Grasses. Among those of this class grown for hay are Hungarian grass (panicum [setaria] Germani- cum) and Italian millet (P. miliaceum), which are often useful in supplementing a short hay crop. The foliage of some of the cereal grains is used for forage, it being cut before the grain ripens and cured like hay ; oat, rye, and maize are those principally grown. Grasses of Spon- taneous Growth. Bermuda grass (cynodon dactylon) is a native of Europe, Asia, and Af- rica, and is abundantly naturalized south of Pennsylvania. It is a low, much-branched perennial, creeping extensively by root stocks, and soon forms a dense mat that completely excludes all other vegetation. In most locali- ties it is regarded as a troublesome weed, but it is of great value where other grasses will not grow for pasturage, and even for hay ; in this country, at least, it is not known to per- fect seed. Buffalo grass (buchloe dactyloides), in the prairies west of the Mississippi, extends from the British possessions to Mexico, and is the support not only of buffalo and deer, but the animals of the recent settler ; it is one of the few examples of a dioecious grass, and the male and female plants are so unlike in their flowering parts that until within a few years they were regarded as belonging to distinct