ANDES GRASS. 



ANDES GRASS. 



recommend thirty gallons of it to be mixed 

 with a sufficient quantity of earth or ashes, to 

 enable it to be spread over an acre in a simi- 

 lar manner. For cabbages twelve bushels, or 

 foi;ty-five gallons per acre, would not, proba- 

 bly, be too much, spread upon the surface, 

 and turned in with the spade or last ploughing. 

 Although I specify the quantities as those I 

 calculate most correct, yet in all experiments 

 it is best to try various proportions : three 01 

 four bushels may be found sufficient ; perhaps 

 twelve, or even twenty, may not be too much. 

 Frequent hoeing has been recommended as a 

 preventive of this disease ; but I believe this 

 to be unsustained either by reason or practice. 

 (G. W, Johnson, Quar. Journ. Agric., vol. vii. 

 p. 308, et seq.) 



[ANDES GRASS. The Hplcus avenaceus of 

 some writers, and Arena elatior of others. Oat 

 Grass, and sometimes Tall Meadow Grass. 

 (Plate 5, e.) A perennial cultivated grass, 

 flowering in the Middle States in May, and 

 ripening its seeds in July. (Flor. Cestrica.) 

 Its name would imply that it came originally 

 from the mountains of South America, whereas 

 the English botanists treat of the Holcus avena- 

 ceus, or Avena elatior, as a native of Britain. 

 The Andes Grass Was introduced to the notice 

 of American farmers several years ago, when 

 its merits were perhaps too highly extolled, 

 which has contributed to its being now esti- 

 mated much below its real worth. Perhaps, 

 too, that those who have reported unfavour- 

 ably of the value of Andes Grass, have mis- 

 taken some other plant for it, a very common 

 occurrence, leading to great discrepancy of 

 opinion. This grass is certainly highly prized 

 by many persons in the Middle States, where, 

 especially in the state of Delaware, it is fre- 

 quently, though not very extensively, cultivat- 

 ed. It grows luxuriantly in soils of clay loam, 

 even of a very light description, affording very 

 early as well as late pasture. Even an open 

 spell in winter, with a few warm days, will 

 start this grass to vegetating so rapidly as to 

 furnish a good bite to cattle. The grass grows 

 very tall, and the hay, if left too late before 

 cutting, is coarse. It grows in tufts, is very 

 durable, and extremely difficult to eradicate 

 from the soil when once well set. This last 

 circumstance perhaps constitutes the most 

 common objection to its introduction into 

 fields and meadows. It stands drought well, 

 and would probably be found a highly valu- 

 able grass for southern pastures. It certainly 

 deserves more attention than it now receives, 

 and is, we think, destined to be much more ex- 

 tensively cultivated as a permanent pasture 

 grass. Its durability renders it unfit for alter- 

 nate husbandry. 



From Colman's Fourth Report of the Agri- 

 culture of Massachusetts the following pas- 

 sage is extracted. 



" The tall meadow oat (Avena elatior) has 

 been cultivated in the county. This grass is not 

 familiar to our farmers, but the success which 

 has attended its cultivation encourages its ex- 

 tension. A Virginia farmer of the highest 

 authority speaks of it, after fifteen years' ex- 

 perience, as a hardy plant, bearing drought 

 and frost, heat and cold, better than any other 

 96 



! grass known to him. A Pennsylvania farmer 

 I pronounces it of all other grasses the earliest. 

 | latest, and best for green fodder or hay. It 

 blossoms about the middle of June, and is 

 preferred to all others by horned cattle. It 

 must be cut seasonably or it becomes hard 

 like straw. A Middlesex farmer, who has cul- 

 tivated it several years, and whose authority 

 is of the highest character, confirms the abov 

 statements of its excellence both for grazing 

 and hay. He says, from its early flowering it 

 is adapted to be sown with red clover, and ix 

 fit to be cut about the first of June. His own 

 account is as follows : 



"'In the spring he sowed with barley a field 

 of four acres, and put on 2 bushels of oat- 

 grass seed, 5 Ibs. of red clover, and 2 Ibs. of 

 white clover seed, to the acre. The soil was 

 thin, and had been exhausted by long crop- 

 ping. On the 3d of June in the following year 

 it was cut, and gave two tons to the acre of 

 the finest and best hay, either for cattle or 

 horses, he ever had in his barn.' 



"He thinks three bushels of seed should be 

 sown to the acre. It is well adapted for graz- 

 ing on poor and exhausted lands, as well as 

 on those of a richer quality. It is a fortnight 

 earlier than the common grasses, and through- 

 out the dryest weather exhibits a green ap- 

 pearance. From three-fourths of an acre, in 

 good condition, he obtained over 20 bushels 

 of well-cleaned seed. 



" The late John Lowell, a man behind no 

 other in his intelligent, successful, and disin- 

 terested efforts to advance the caase of an im- 

 proved agriculture in Massachusetts and New 

 England generally, says that, 'under his cul- 

 tivation, it has proved a most valuable grass, 

 and fully sustained its high character. It is a 

 very early and tall grass, yielding a good bur- 

 den. It will start rapidly after cutting. It is 

 a perennial and enduring grass, and on his 

 first experiment it lasted seven years without 

 the necessity of renewal.' 



" A farmer in Waltham objects to sowing the 

 tall meadow oats and the herdsg.rass (Timothy) 

 together, as they do not ripen at the same time. 

 The tall meadow oats, when I visited him, 

 would be ready for the scythe in ten days, or 

 about the middle of June, while the herds- 

 grass, at the same time, had not begun to show 

 its head. 



" ' This grass Avena elatior, tall oat grass 

 sends forth flower-straws during the whole 

 season ; the latter math contains nearly an 

 equal number with the flowering crop. It is 

 subject to the rust, but the disease does not 

 make its appearance till after the period of 

 flowering. It affects the whole plant, and at 

 the time the seed is ripe the leaves and straws 

 are withered and dry. This accounts for the 

 superior value of the latter math over the seed 

 crop, and points out the propriety of taking 

 the crop when the grass is in flower. The nu- 

 tritive matter afforded by this grass, when 

 made into hay, according to the table is very 

 small.' (Geo. Sinclair.} 



" J. Buel speaks of his ' field experiment* 

 with this grass not being so successful as he 

 expected owing partly to the seed not vege- 

 tating well ; and partly, he supposed, to the 



