Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-03
A VALUABLE GRASS.

A GRASS.
send You by mail small bundle of grass
that | would like you TO name for US. Ii
does not appear to be 4 wild Texas grass
as it seems to mainly confine itself TO road
sides and to fields once cultivated never
see it on wild lands either along our streams
or out in the open prairies. Stock relish il
very much, and while it may not be strictly
winter grass, find it green and growing
through most Of the winter. AT first took
it to be Texas blue grass, but your descrip-
ton Of that grass showed me that / was
mistaken. Please let us know what it is,
and whether or not it is worthy of encour-
agement. l regard your department in THE
GAZETTE as of incalculable value to the peo-
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 q point. From
eight to twelve rather conspicuous veins or
ribs appear on the underside of each blade,
running parallel with and on either side 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 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 fiat
shape something like that Of lance blade
The entire cluster is not far from hree-
fourths of an inch in length, on an average,
op1 oh ~ an,
Close looking Will show 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 a 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 a 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. Killebrew 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
no authority for saying it is. In any case
it is certainly securing a pretty general
foothold in most sections of our state-one
finds 1t growing more or less abundantly by
the roadside and along fences wherever he
goes. It 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
than is found in Festuca duriuscula.
Professor Killebrew of Tennessee
speaks highly of it as a meadow
and hay grass. The only objec-
ton that could be urged against it as a
hay grass is its low growing habit, yet its
rapid growth and consequent quick fitness
for cutting might fully make up for its
shortness of growth. Professor Killebrew
refers to test where one acre of the grass
cut in Towering gave 1886 pounds of
green hay, which lost in drying 10, 116
pounds. But in seed another acre gave
1909 pounds, green, the loss on which was
10, 4S1 pounds in drying. He considers this
a very fair showing for a hay grass.
Professor Way analysed Festuca duri-
uscula hay With the following results:
A Ibuminoids 10 IN
Fatty matter 334
Heating matter .4043
Woody fiber .3S1l
stSH .........-... o.3S
To admit of comparison we give the fol-
lowing analysis OF Kentucky blue grass
made by the same chemist:
i buminoids 35
Fatty matter 263
Heating matter AZ O6