The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-05-07
VALUABLE GRASS.

| send You by mail small bundle of grass
| that would like you to name for u.s. II
| does not appear to be Il wild Texas grass
| as 1t seems to mainly cOniine itself 10 road
| sides and to fields once cultivated-I never
| see 1t on wild lands either along our streams
| or out in the open prairies Stock relish il
| very much, and while il may not be strictly
| q winter grass, | find il green and growing
| through most of the winter. At first took
| IL to be Texas blue grass. but YOUR descrip.
| tion of that grass showed me that l was
| mistaken Please let US know what it is,
! and whether or not it is worthy of encour-
| agement. | regard your department in TIE
| GAZETTE as OF incaiculable value to the PEG
pie of Texas, opening up to us an avenue for
| obtaining much useful and reliable informa-
| ton not heretofore within our reach.
| SMALL STOCKMAN.
| Parker county, Tex.
| 1t is fescue grass-the Festcua duriuscula
! of botanists There are several species of
| fescue grass but this particular species
| most generally leads in the common name.
| 1t is the species called simply '.fescue
| grass Some of the books distinguish it
for common by calling it hard fescue
| grass popular name suggested by the
somewhat hardness of the slender stalk
| sent up to bear seed. The leaves or blades
were never hard, but always soft and sue
culent
This grass is of dark and rich green
color, with seed stalks ascending to the
height Of from twelve to eighteen inches
sometimes to two feet on very rich ground.
The blades are near half an inch wide and
from eight to twelve inches in length,
tapering of gradually to a point From
eight to twelve rather conspicuous veins or
ribs appear on the underside of each blade
running parallel with and on either si1e of
the central midrib. The edges of the
blades carry fine but very sharp saw-like
teeth. Seed stalk about the size of large
knitting needle, and slightly rigid. From
this, when well towards the top. spring at
one side slender branches in clusters of
twos or threes. The points from which
they start out form a kind of Joint. but the
branches invariably appear together all on
the same side of the main stalk These
joints, of which there are several average
some two inches apart. At the upper ex-
tremity of the branches appear the seed
pods in compact clusters-one cluster on
each branch. There are from nine to
eleven pods in each cluster, set
closely side by side, giving the cluster
united appearance and fat
shape something like that of lance blade.
The entire cluster is not far from three
fourths of an inch in length, on an average,
and about one-fourth of an inch in width.
Close looking will show a short avn or
spine on the end of each seed-pod. The
grass is perennial, that is, its root lives on
from year to year when once fairly set.
This is an unscientific description of the
species rendered in plain English-a mode,
as it occurred to Us, that would be pre-
ferred by the general reader As, in the
case of most Texas plants, we find slight
variation from the original description as
given by the naming botanist Iinnaus
in this instance), but not enough to throw
it into different species.
This species of fescue is probably an in
troduced grass as far as relates to Texas,
yet we are by no means sure that such is
the case. 1t is native American grass,
and Wood locates its habitat as in the Caro-
linas and northward. Chapman puts it
down as an introduced species but gives no
particulars. kilebrew simply says it is
indigenous to this country. Possibly it |
may be native to some portions of Texas as |
well as to the Carolinas, though we have |
40 authority for saying it is. In any case |
it is certainly securing pretty general |
foothold in most sections of our state-one |
I'M oh,
the roadside and along fences wherever he |
goes. 1t is rapidly becoming one of the |
very common grasses about Fort Worth.
There could be very little risk in assert
ing that Texas has no better pasture grass |
han is found in Festuca duriuscula.
Professor Killebrew of Tennessee
speaks highly OF it as meadow
md hay grass. The only objec-
ion that could be urged against it as
lay grass is its low growing habit, yet its
'apid growth and consequent quick fitness
or cutting might fully make up for its
hortness of growth. Professor Killebrew
'efers TO Z test where one acre of the grass
'reen hay, which lost in drying 1O1l6
pounds. But in seed another acre gave
9,0i5 pounds, green, the loss on which was
0 .4S1 pounds in drying. He considers this
very fair showing for hay grass.
Professor Way analysed Festuca duri-
lscula hay with the following results:
Albuminoids 10
FATTY matter 3.34
ieating matter. 4O.43
woody noer. ................3S7i |
h'ii ............ 0fS |
To admit of comparison we give the fol-
owing analysis of Kentucky blue grass
lade by the same chemist:
hmm |