ANDES GRASS. 



ANDES GRASS. 



harmless compounds through sufficient expo- 

 sure to atmospheric and chemical agencies. 



Tiu- re are many different opinions among 

 farmers in regard to the agricultural value of 

 gas lime, some preferring it to ordinary car- 

 bonate of lime, while others believe it greatly 

 inferior, and even pernicious to vegetation. 

 In some parts of England the farmers will not 

 haul it away when given to them. 



Gas lime contains a considerable portion of 

 sulphur. When exposed to the atmosphere, 

 this must combine with oxygen and form sul- 

 phurous acid, the union of which with the lime 

 and ammonia generally present, form sul- 

 phates of lime and ammonia, both valuable 

 fertilizers. The amount of the sulphate of lime 

 thus produced must often be very large. 



[ANDES GRASS. The Holcu* avenaceus of 

 some writers, and Avena elatior of others. Oat 

 Grass, and sometimes Tall Meadow Grass. 

 (Plate 5, ee.) 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. Irs durability renders it unfit for alter- 

 nate husbandry. 



Fr^rn Cohnan's Fouich Report of the Agri- 

 cultu' - e of Massachusetts the following pas- 

 sage is extracted. 



" The tall meadow oat (Avena tlatlor} has 

 been cultivated in the count}'. This grass is not 

 familiar to our farmers, but the success which 

 has attended its cultivation encourages its ex- 

 r ension. 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 

 pronounces it of all other grasses the earliest, 

 latest, and best for green fodder or hay. It 

 j 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 above 

 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 is 

 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, tind 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 cause 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 herdsgrass (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 Ihe table is very 

 | small.' (Geo. Sinclair.) 



"J. Buel speaks of his 'field experiments 



with this grass not being so successful as he 



expected owing partly to the seed not vege- 



| tating well ; and partly, he supposed, to thy 



