Forage Plants at the South. 



21 



culture, states that it is a native of South Caro- 

 lina, and was introduced into England in 1780, 

 by Timothy Hudson. Flint says that by some 

 persons it was said to have been introduced 

 into England from Virginia, in 1760, by one 

 Peter Wynne. It is sometimes called cat-tail, 

 from the shape of the head. In New England 

 it is called Herd's grass, as a man of that 

 name found it growing in a swamp in New 

 Hampshire. This should be borne in mind, 

 when we are reading New England agricul- 

 tural newspapers, otherwise we shall be con- 

 fused. What we call herdsgrass, they call 

 red-top. 



As a mere hay grass timothy is, perhaps, 

 unrivalled. It is extremely nutritious. Four 

 tons of this excellent hay have been frequently 

 cut from an acre. 



It is useful only as a hay grass. It has little 

 or no aftermath ; it is not green during the 

 winter. It should rarely be pastured, as its 

 roots are bulbous, and the plant is easily de- 

 stroyed by close grazing. 



The soil suited to it is the richest of bottom 

 land that is dry enough for wheat. At the 

 South it does not thrive on upland. The 

 well-drained rice land of the coast would pro- 

 duce it in perfection. In our city markets 

 timothy hay commands a higher price than 

 any other. 



This grass should not be sown with clover, 

 as the clover is ready to cut before the timo- 

 thy. There must be a loss in one or the other. 

 Timothy should be cut when it is in full blos- 

 som. As it is a late grass it has this advan- 

 tage, that the wheat crop may be saved before 

 the Timothy is ready. Twelve pounds of seed 

 should be sowed to the acre. 



HERD'S GRASS. 



For hay alone this grass ranks next to Tim- 

 othy. The soil best suited to it is moist, swamp 

 land. It will grow almost in running water. 

 It yields a valuable return on thinner land 

 than, perhaps, 'any other of the cultivated 

 grasses. Its chief requisite seems to be moist- 

 ure. There are large bodies of pipe-clay land 

 at the South which will produce nothing but 

 oats, which will make fair Herd's grass mead- 

 ows. Of course the richer the land the greater 

 the yield. The hay is good in quality, and 

 sometimes very large in quantity. The grass 

 should be cut just as the seed begins to ripen, 

 and before the stalk has changed its color. 

 Sow a peck of seed to the acre. 



Timothy and Herd's grass should be 

 sowed together, as they are ready for the 

 scythe at the same time. This mixture is 

 better than either grass singly. The Timo- 

 thy will be some eighteen inches taller than 

 the Herd's grass, and the mixture of the 

 two will give a heavy cutting close to the 

 ground. 



In the preceding description all the forage 

 plants and grasses are noticed which the 



writer believes are practically useful at the 

 South. A great number of other plants and 

 grasses have been tried by him in a series of 

 experiments running through thirty years, 

 and have been rejected as unsuited to our soil 

 and climate. 



TIME OF SOWING GRASS SEEDS. 



Experience has proved, so far as the obser- 

 vation of the writer goes, that August or 

 early in September is the best time to sow 

 grass seeds, or about the same time with sow- 

 ing turnips. There is usually sufficient rain 

 at that season to cause the seeds to germinate. 

 The young plants will have time to make 

 sufficient root to stand the severest cold of 

 winter. When sown at this time there is a 

 gain of a season, as clover, lucerne, and sev- 

 eral of the grasses, if sowed without grain in 

 August, will give a cutting in the following 

 spring. Should there be a failure of the seed, 

 an opportunity to re-sow will occur in the fol- 

 lowing February. 



Grass seed sown late in the fall is liable to 

 be winter killed. If the farmer cannot sow 

 early in the fall, it will be wise in him to de- 

 fer sowing until the ordinary time of sowing 

 oats. The different parts of the South vary 

 so much in climate, that it would be wrong, 

 perhaps, to specify any particular month or 

 months for sowing grass seeds. The general 

 rule may be stated, the application of which 

 will vary according to locality, that it is best 

 to sow sufficiently early in the fall to avoid 

 danger from freezing, or if deferred until 

 spring, the usual time of sowing spring 

 oats. 



SOWING WITH OB WITHOUT GBAIN. 



There can be no doubt that sowing grass 

 seed with grain should always be avoided, un- 

 less necessity requires It. The objections to 

 this practice are, that it involves the loss of a 

 year in either hay or pasture As has been 

 stated, clover, lucerne and several of the 

 grasses, if sown early in the fall without 

 grain, will give a cutting or maybe pastured 

 in the following spring. If sown with grain, 

 the grass will be of no practical use during 

 the season after the grain is cut. No grass 

 should ever be cut or pastured until after it 

 has gone to seed once. This seeding will se- 

 cure a full occupation of the soil. Of a wet 

 season, clover and some of the grasses may 

 seed late in the fall after grain is cut, they 

 may then be pastured lightly with calves or 

 sheep. But the grass is of little value during 

 that entire year. 



There is another objection to sowing grasa 

 seed with grain. When the grain is cut, the 

 young grass and clover are very tender, hav- 

 ing been shaded by the grain. The cutting 

 suddenly exposes them to the sun at the hot- 

 test season of the year. There is great danger, 

 therefore, that they will be burned out. If 



