626 Grasses and Leguminous Crops in New York 



Mixtures for Pasture 

 For pasture, a mixture of eight pouuds of orchard grass, ten 

 pounds of blue grass, four pounds of timothy, three pounds of 

 redtop,- two pounds of red clover, and a pound each of alsike and 

 wliite clover will give good results, especially on lands in the 

 northeastern United States where the rainfall is abundant. On 

 thin, dry, stony lands the proportion of orchard grass in such a 

 mixture should be increased and the blue grass decreased, since 

 orchard grass will withstand droughty conditions much better than 

 blue grass. In these mixtures orchard gi'ass will not become 

 prominent for two or three years, as its development is very slow 

 as compared with other grasses. The quicker growing grasses and 

 clovers in such mixtures will furnish most of the pasture for the 

 first year or two. Orchard grass, however, is a long-lived and 

 persistent grass, and ultimately under favorable conditions will 

 dominate and furnish the bulk of the permanent pasturage. 



Seed 

 If it is grown for seed, it is usually seeded alone ; or, if mixed 

 with clover, the first crop is made into hay and the following crops 

 used for seed. It is harvested with a binder set to cut the grass 

 high ISO as to leave as' much of the leaf growth on the ground as 

 possible and to escape the low-growing weeds or clover. The 

 remaining growth may then be pastured off or cut later for hay. 

 The bundles are set up in small shocks and after curing are 

 threshed with an ordinary grain thresher, equipped with special 

 riddles and using little air. Yields of twelve to fifteen bushels 

 to the acre are usuallv obtained. 



HAY 



Most farmers in the timothy region prefer timothy to orchard 

 grass for hay. Its chemical analysis shows it to be about equal 

 to timothy in feeding value, but in practice timothy usually makes 

 a better hay. This is doubtless due to the fact that orchard 

 grass loses its palatability rapidly as it matures. Unless cut 

 within a very short time after bloom, it makes a coarse, woody 

 hay. If, on the other hand, it is cut at the proper time, an 

 excellent hay can be made. There is, however, little market 



