280 



GRASSES. 



Up to the present the testing of grasses has proven veiy disappointing on 

 account of the difficulty of getting any of the varieties to start on this Farm. If the 

 seed is put down out of reach of the winds, very little will germinate ; if near the 

 surface, the periodical winds of May or earl}- June sweep them out of the ground. 

 If not sown until after the winds are over, the young plants are not strong enough to 

 stand the diy weather of August and Septembei- and generally perish. 



The past season was an exception in this respect, and any grasses sown in the 

 latter part of June or the first of July, made a vigorous growth duiing the rest of 

 the season. Unfortunately the greater part of all our grasses and clovers had been 

 sown at different times before this growing period came, and except for the lawn 

 grasses sown about the house and barn, we had no seed left to sow over again. As 

 evidence of the difficulty of getting a catch of grass seed, I may mention that the 

 lawns were sown three times before success was attained. In my last report men- 

 tion was made of 18 grasses and clovers having been sown in addition to some native 

 and othei- sorts. These, except two native kinds weie all destroyed by winds. The 

 18 varieties were resown as quickly as possible. Out of the 18 varieties Perennial 

 Eye Grass, Italian Kye Grass, Orchard Grass, Meadow Fescue, Sheep Fescue, Crested 

 Dog's Tail, Eed, Alsike, Lucerne, Sanfoin and White Clovers grew. Pei-ennial Eye 

 Grass, Italian Eye- Grass and Crested Dog's Tail wore completely killed 

 by the winter or spring. Orchard Grass was half killed, but gave f tons per 

 acre. Meadow and Sheep Fescue were hurt very little and the return from these 

 was IJ tons each. The clovers all came thfough in good shape and returned, 

 Alsike, 1 ton ; Eed. 1^ tons ; Lucerne, 1^ tons : Sanfoin, 1^ tons ; White was a thick 

 mat and of course could not be cut. In addition to those already mentioned, there 

 appeared this spring from the second seeding. Hard Fescue, Eed Top and timothy ; 

 the tin\othy producing f tons per acre. 



This year all those varieties that stood last winter were sown with grain and in 

 plots on the bare fallow, and in addition 33 varieties were sown in small plots in the 

 garden, 8 kinds are from India, 20 native, and the balance includes Texas Blue Grass, 

 Bermuda Grass and Johnson Grass. 



Winds and hail destroyed the various kinds sown on the bare fallow, and a thin 

 catch was obtained among the grain. In the small plots Muhlenbergia sylvatica, 

 Muhleiibergia giomerata, Poa serotina and Glyceria grandis grew well. The first 

 two headed out and ripened their seed. Johnson grass had obtained a height of 30 

 inches when destroyed by frost. Yeiy little of any of the other varieties grew. 



FLAX. 



Flax was sown on three different dates. Fii-st on 7th May, .^econd on 17th May 

 and thii-d on 22nd May. Eipe on 15th, 20tli and 22nd August, respectively. Gave 

 7*10, 12-5, 9-26 bushels per acre. The stalks grew about 30 inches high.. 



BUCKWHEAT. 



"Was sown on 22nd Ma}^ and 2nd June. Both seedings made a good growth, but 

 were overtaken by frost on 21st August and completely killed. 



BEANS. 



Twenty varieties of beans were planted on 21st May. They consisted of the 

 following: — 



Sugar Peail, Sugar Grej^ ; Chevrier ; Emperor William; Schirmer's Purple 

 Seeded ; Golden Butter Wax ; Large Podded ; English Horse ; Sugar Pearl 

 Eose predome ; Negro Black; Ne plus Ultra; Eound Yellow 6 Weeks ; Flageolet 

 Purple Seeded ; Zion House ; Negro Extra Early ; Empress Augusta ; Black 

 Speckli>d ; Nettie-leaved White and Hundred to One. 



Butter Wax and 6 Week- were the earliest but not early enough to escape the first 

 frost on 21st August. Except the English Horse beans, all were de^troycd at this date, 



