AGRICULTURAL GRASSES 67 



up in valuable food for cattle. Given the desire of obtaining 

 from an acre of liberally fed land the largest possible produce 

 within twelve months, and Italian Rye Grass has no equal for 

 fulfilhng the condition. 



Another prejudice is that Italian Rye Grass is a bad pre- 

 paration for wheat. On that point Mr. Dickinson's own words 

 can be quoted : ' Thirty sheep may be kept upon Itahan Rye 

 Grass, fed through hurdles, upon as little land as ten can be 

 kept upon the common system upon common grass, and the 

 finest crops of wheat, barley, oats, and beans may be gro^\Ti 

 after the Italian Rye Grass has been fed off the two years 

 of its existence. Wheat invariably foUows the Italian, and 

 splendid crops are grown.' 



Again, it is objected that twitch is produced by Itahan 

 Rye Grass. With pure seed this is impossible, but plenty 

 of Itahan Rye Grass seed infested with twitch is freely bought 

 and sold every year. The remedy is in the buyer's own hands. 

 When twitch is already in the soil, a starved crop of Rye Grass 

 may give the couch an opportunity of asserting itself Still, 

 the tendency of a well-fed and frequently cut crop of Itahan 

 always favours the destruction of twitch. 



Itahan Rye Grass is very fi'cquently sown ^\dth Broad 

 Clover in composite mixtures for alternate husbandry, and it 

 may also be used with Avena elatior when a more durable crop 

 is wanted. But the most profitable method is to grow Itahan 

 Rye Grass alone, because the crop can be cut before the stalks 

 become hard and lose then- nutritious qualities. Another reason 

 why Italian should not be allowed to grow old is that the plant 

 is extremely succulent, and in warm thundery weather there is 

 a risk of the roots beginning to rot. On this account a very 

 bulky crop cannot be safely left for seed in a hot, damp 

 summer. 



The usual months for sowing are February, IMarch, 

 September, and October, and the quantity three bushels per 

 acre, but seed may be sown at any time from spring to autumn. 



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