40 TALL OAT GRASS. 



grain drill. In the fall the grass obtained a growth 

 of 18 inches, the blades very numerous and fine. In 

 the spring of 1864, and every year up to 1871, I have 

 cropped it for seed and mowed the stubble for hay. 

 The stubble mak^s superior hay, because of the 

 numerous green blades about a foot long growing 

 from the roots of the grass while the seed is ripening.. 

 I have now about 100 acres of land seeded with this 

 grass and orchard grass mixed. The grass matures 

 for hay about the 5th of June and for seed about 

 the 10th to 15th. The seed is very difficult 

 to save, the moment almost that it is ripa it 

 falls off; the top seeds ripens a few days earlier 

 than the lower seeds. For two seasons, I lost all the 

 seed by delaying cutting a few days. There is no 

 difficulty about getting three crops a year for soiling 

 cows. By the middle of May the grass will be from 

 ten to fifteen inches high. In the beginning of July 

 it will be fit to cut again, and a third time in the lat- 

 ter part of August. For pasture it excells all the 

 grasses with which I am acquainted. Cattle, horses 

 and sheep prefer it to any other grass I have on the 

 farm. 



I have heretofore seeded it with wheat in the fall; 

 the only objection to this is that the grass grows as 

 fast as the wheat and is quite as tall at the harvest as 

 the grain. The straw however is better than most of 

 the hay that is made. The quantity of seed to the 

 acre should not be less than two bushels. I prefer 

 three. The grass ripens for hay rather earlier than 

 than clover, and is therefore better to sow with clover 

 than timothy." 



A bushel of Tall Oat grass seed weighs seven 

 pounds. 



