108 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



sown to the acre. I have had excellent results in sow- 

 ing this grass in spring, very early and on well prepared 

 land. While orchard grass always grows in stools it is 

 doubtful whether one can make any gain by trying to 

 fill the spaces between the stools, as the roots occupy 

 the land. It should always be mixed with clovers and 

 grows quite well with alfalfa. In sowing it with the 

 latter one should not use more than 1 5 pounds of orchard 

 grass seed, else it will too much crowd the alfalfa. Sown 

 with alfalfa, it reduces the tendency of bloat among pas- 

 tured cattle and the first cutting will be of nicely inter- 

 mixed hay. The right mixture to put with orchard grass 

 is likely redtop, meadow fescue and Canada bluegrass, 

 always with clovers added. One must not let orchard 

 grass grow up too rank, else the animals dislike it. One 

 can keep it fresh and tender by mowing the rank spots 

 in the pasture and making the coarse herbage into hay. 

 I have seen a curious thing here; cattle and horses would 

 come to the mown grass when in cock and eat it readily 

 though they were running where they could get all the 

 uncut grass they desired. 



Do I advise sowing orchard grass pastures? Doubt- 

 less they may be made very profitable. They are espe- 

 cially useful for horses, which relish the grass more than 

 do cattle or sheep. Simply see to it that the pastures of 

 this grass are fenced to themselves, so that once turned 

 to it the animals can not choose but eat it ; they will then 

 not neglect it. I think almost any stock-farmer would 

 find one pasture of orchard grass properly cared for a 

 profitable aid in maintaining herds, flocks and studs. 



