FAEMERS' INSTITUTES. 295 



in the season, others late in autumn."' — 7. A. LajjJuwi. Some of the grasses 

 are our vilest weeds, as chess in our fields of Avheat, barnyard grass, and finger 

 grass, and several known as j^igeon grass, and hair grass, and others. 



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AVHICH ARE THE BEST? 



I wish I were able to tell you just which grasses are the best to raise in every 

 case, but this will probably never be done, — at least not for many years yet. 

 Nothing can be done which will release every farmer from experimenting on his 

 own ground. No chemist can or ever will be able to analyze a handful of his 

 soil and tell him just what is the best thing to put on it. We are experimenting 

 with a large number of species, 150 or more, on a small scale, and are just 

 about to try some of the more prominent ones on a larger scale. I am often 

 asked tlie merits of this or that grass. 



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 MORE EXPERIMENTS NEEDED. 



I advise thinking men to try a large number of sorts and watch the results ; 

 but try them on a small scale at first. Do not mistake me in advising to try 

 all the new grasses to be had. Many do not half use what they have already. 

 I would be far from advising any man to pay large prices for fancy stocks, and 

 then make them mean scrubs by taking no care of them. I have seen too much 

 money fooled away in such speculations. Better farming is one of our greatest 

 needs. Seeds of iiew grasses are high and hard to get, and with no experience 

 it would not pay to invest largely ; but I am sure it is safe to start on a small 

 scale, and raise your own seeds and watch the result. Give all of them a good 

 fair chance before condemning them as worthless. Some seedsmen trv to be 

 very accommodating and sell several kinds, each from the same barrel, as pure 

 and unadulterated. Experiments are needed to try to improve our best species 

 of grass. This has been done in Egland to some extent upon rye grass, orchard 

 grass, and others, until in some cases varieties have been originated as unlike 

 each other as are our varieties of wheat among each other. They differ as much 

 as pop-corn differs from sweet corn or dent corn, or as much as these differ 

 among each other. Home-grown grass seeds are better for us than thase groAvn 

 in England. They are more likely to grow. They have become acclimated. 



SOME PROMINEXT GRASSES. 



I will now offer some remarks upon a few of the grasses which have attracted 

 most attention. 



Alojjecurus prafensis (meadow foxtail) is two to three or even four feet 

 high, having soft spikes of flowers, larger, shorter and more uneven than spikes 

 of timothy. Leaves rather broad, smooth and flat. It has an excellent reputa- 

 tion in most parts of Great Britain, where it is chief among old pastures. It 

 requires three or four years to get well established, hence not good for alternate 

 husbandry. It is quite common in Maine and some other parts of New Eng- 

 land. The stalks are too short to be just the thing for meadow. It starts very 

 early in spring and flowers about four weeks earlier than timothy. It loves 

 moist land, clay loam, or drained swamps. It is said not to like sand, though 

 it made a good growth on dry sand among my grass plats for three summers at 

 the College, where it was sown late and tlie season dry. It is good for lawns, as 

 it starts early, keeps even and bears mowing often. 



Several years ago there was some sown on new land witli orchard grass, June 

 grass and white clover. It never was found on tlie ground to any extent. Quite 



