THE SELECTION OF GRASSES.

Manawatu Herald, 29 March 1889, Page 2

THE SELECTION OF GRASSES.

(Sutton's Permanent Pastures. (Continued.) Festuca elatior {Tall' Fescue) although the indigenous variety of elatior foi.nd exclusively in wet marshy places, is so coarse and harsh as, according to Curtis, to be of little value foe good pastures, Sinclair pointed out its merits as a fodder grass for strong undrained clays unsuited to the growth of finer grasses. The liability of this grass to the attack of ergot is in itself a very serious drawback and should not be without weight in deciding as to its in roduction into a pasture, I may ad ! that Festuca elatior, whether produced by the planting of the divided roots of the indigenous variety, or as the result of sowing seed of the continental Festuca eru*dinajca, equally maintains the characteristic creeping habit of the root which is one distinctive feature as compared with Festuca pratensis Hudsoni.

Festuca pratensis var lolicea {Darnel like Fes ue). This grass id the form which Fesfr'ca «va emit assumes in ce.tain alluvial districts. Loliacea is not only found, but is constant and a most valuable grass for hay or pasture in meadows by the side of rivers, especially where subject to floods. There is no reason to doubt that true Festuca praLensis sown in soil which loliacea affects would in three or four years produce the loliacea peculiarities. I do not recommend the sowing of Festuca loliacea, nor do I consider the high cost of its seed a necessary outlay, although the phut is admirable on those soils where it will remain constant.

Festuca heterophylla (various leaved Rescue) was introduced into England in 1341. ThefoHageisdarkeran<ymore flossy than that produced by other e>cue3. It is extensively grown in F-ance Vaiious-leaved Fescue shows a decided partiality for calcareous land, succeeds in marshes, aud grows better under the shade of trees than in the open. It is a most valuable Fescue, and indeed onji of the best lof the finer grasses. The •avly growth makes it exceedingly useful in a pasture, but for hay it is comparative y unimportant, and the aftermath is small. This Fescue will not alone m&ke a continuous turf; the plants form tufts which will not amalgamate ; but in company with Festuca rubra aud Boa pratensis it will fully occupy the soil. .

Festuca ovina (Sheep's Fescue) is the smallest grass cultivated for agricultural purposes. It is perfectly distinct from other Rescues, is densely tufted, with abundance of very narrow dark green leaves and slender flower stalks. The culm has the peculiarity of being angular, while all other cultivated Fescues have round stalks. It is said to lose this characteristic in strong soils, but I think it probable th >t Festuca rubra which is more at home in such soils, elbowa its dwarf cousin out of existence. The Festuca Ovina is snoou • lent, although *o wiry in appearance. The plant comes into flower the third week in June, grows ftooj six to twtlve Inches high, and i-ttunj fti

ViMh 611 colour during hot dry weather |« is therefore much used in the II |toakiog of lawns, for which purpose ■W4P* possesses a special value, but alone JJwiU jj-not form a compact turf. Whera this grass grows freely it is a j pretty good indication" of a healthy neighbourhood. In hay sheep's . tfesoiw is practically useless. The I •'■ growth is too dwarf to al ow the m»---f chine or scythe to take hold of it, and !•>, horned stock show it in no favour. It is pre-eminently a pasture grass for sheep on poor light soils pad in hilly .^country, especially wherj. the subsoil f. ib chalk, and it is generally believed to exercise a beneficial influence on the wool Its roots penetrate to a great depth, and it is a remarkable Jaot fliatifit is highly manured it ' megauxo yield up its place to other j grasses. It is therefore unwise to sow this grass on rich fertile land. : Sheep's Fescue is peculiarly suited for autumn, or correctly speaking, for late summer sowing. It attains its fall developement in the second or third year. On the soils for which it is specially adapted it is almost indispensable, and the feeding value is very high.