Question
Dear Mr.Gibbs,
              My lawn about 1/2 acre bluegrass has been ruined 3 times in the last 15 years by chinch bugs.I did have a lawn care company that did do a half decent job but I have since gave up spending up to $1000/year for I think is a lost cause.A person can only put up with so much spraying.
         I have since seeded using Perennial Ryegrass[Turf Type].I used 2/50lb.bags in the spring and overseeded 50lbs in the fall in another spot on the lawn with I thought was the same Seed. It wasn't but it came in beautiful.I didn't mow in the heat of the summer for about a month.The last seed I used grew about a foot or more high with blades of grass with seeds on them.It said on the tag perennial rye.Could this be FORAGE GRASS? If so, can I use this seed to fill in another dead patch on my lawn? What are the pro's/con's between Perennial and Forage Rye grass for a good lawn?
       I live in Nova Scotia Canada.Cold winters,wet spring,dry summer,moist fall.

       Thank You For your time,
                      
                               Darrell Cross  

Answer
Hi Darrel Cross,

>>"....Could this be FORAGE GRASS?..."

The term 'Forage Grass' is general and descriptive of any number of grassy landscape's botanical populations which can provide feed for grazing animals like deer and cattle, etc.
If a commercial product is being sold as a forage seed product to plant, I think it would have nutritional information on its label including such basic parameters as protein content.  

If what you have planted looks good to you and is serving the purpose, stick with it.
'Wilder' varieties or 'throw-backs' are more likely to grow taller and have less than ideal genetic traits to be useful as turf-grass products.

Note that here in the USA (I do not know about Canadian Laws),...seed sold for lawns and agriculture in general are required by law to have been lab-tested and certified.  Always use certified seed to obtain the best and consistent results.  And try to keep a record of the name of the seed you used in case you need to re-seed.  Cool-climate grasses like Rye will usually have to be re-seeded in the fall if there are hot summers.

There are hybrid varieties of Rye you can find which may give you a superior Rye-grass lawn.  These may be patented named-hybrids bred to perform and be drought and disease resistant.

Listed here are a few of the best Rye-grass cultivars now available:

Cultivar NAME..... QUALITY Rating

DSV NA 9402......... 6.9
MORNING STAR........ 6.5
BRIGHTSTAR.......... 6.2
MAJESTY............. 6.1
LINE DRIVE.......... 5.9
HEAD START.......... 5.6
NINE-O-ONE.......... 5.5

Use Key-words 'cultivars Lolium perenne' at the GOOGLE.com web-site search engine to find more than 4000 web-pages that discuss Rye-grass hybrids.

Check with your region's local agricultural university's web-sites for their HORTICULTURAL pages.  Here you may find information about lawns and grasses specifically for your area and climate.
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With a good fertile-loamy well draining top-soil, best quality hybrid grass type(s), 1-3 inches of water per week, plenty of sun-light, ...almost anyone can have an excellent lawn with a minimum maintenance effort.
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I Hope this has answered your question(s)!

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___ Jim Gibbs,
    Microbiologist/Botanist