The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-25
Frederick Haskins Letter
Crdss Lore for Farmers and Others


cane and the like as grass, but
such Is their botanical classifica-
ton. On the other hand. the term
krass Is populaerly applied to all
the green heritage on which cattle
and other animals feed, and this
would include many plants which
are botanically related to the true
grasses, such as the clovers, al
falfa, ct cetera. The grasses fu.. y
nish the principal food Of both man
and beats and are the foundations
Of agriculture.
Singularly enough. the most i'm
portant grasses, the cereals. are not
known in the wild state and their
cultivation extends so far back into
antiquity that even their Places
Of origin are unknown. Either
their wild counterparts have be-
come extinct, or the cereals have
been so developed and changed by
cultivation that their wild forms
are no longer recognizable.
Many Species In This Country.
Altogether there are about 1.a0o
species of grass growing in the
United States. In one state alont,
Washington, some 276 species are
found. Originally almost one-half
the area of the United States con-
sisted Of prairies, the principal
herbage of which was grasses, and
the existence Of this vast domain
of grassland has never been fully
explained, since it has been discov-
cred that trees grow readily
enough on these prairies once they
have been introduced there.
OF all the hay grasses cultivated
in the United States, timothy is by
far the most important, its acreage
being four times as great as that
of all the others put together, and
eQualling that of all hay plants, in
GLIDING clover and alfalfa.
Timothy had become the most
important hay grass in the United
States as early as 1907" says MIR.
Piper, land it has since held this
position .unchallenged. Its reputa-
ton as a feed depends upon its high
palatability, combined with mod
crate nutritive value, SO that it ia
practically impossible to injure an
animal by overlooking.
"Redtop, is the only grass Of
much prominence as a hay plant
among the many grasses belonging
to the genus Agrostis. 1t was early
introduced into the American colon
les. This grass has been known
under many common names such
as whitetop. form, white bent and
herds grass, but as all of these
names belong more properly to
other grasses they should not be
used for redtop. 1t is perennial
grass, and natures at about the
same time as timothy.
Bermuda grass is the most i'm
portant pasture grass in the south,
where it shows marked preference
for clayey soils, but grows more or
less abundantly on sandy soil. 1t
occurs as far north as Maryland,
Kansas and the warmer valleys of
Washington and Oregon. In Vir-
ginia and Maryland where it is
more troublesome as a weed than
valuable as a forage it is common
ly called wire grass"
! Other important cultivated grass
es mentioned by Mr.. Piper are
orchard grass, carpet grass, Can
ada blue grass, tall meadow oats
grass, meadow fescue, foxtail mil
let, Rhodes grass, Napier grass,
sleeps fescue, red fescue, Para
grass, Japanese millet, Italian rye
grass, Rhode Island bent, Dallas
grass and Sudan grass.
Mr.. Piper does not discuss the
problem of developing the Assi
grasses for golf courses, but ex-
I.perts of the department of agricul-
ture have assisted in experimental
work in that line at the several
country clubs around Washington.
Golf courses need a heavy, springy
turf for the fairways and a softer
grass for the putting greens tina,
can be cultivated to a velvet,
smoothness. Great difficulty is ex.
: perienced in getting grasses thai
will not burn out in dry hot wealth
er, and crab grass is the bane o.
the green keepers. Just at presen
the Columbia Country Club a
| Chevy Chase, Md, seems to hav'
4 come nearest the solution of tn,
4 problem with species of ben
t grass for greens that holds its owl
0 under adverse weather conditions
and always affords an admirabl,
|, putting surface.