110 How THE FARM PAYS. 



CHAPTER VI. 



GRASS AND ITS MANAGEMENT. 



(Mr. C.) There is probably no subject in which there is more 

 interest taken by the farming community of the United States at the 

 present time, than that of grass. There is but little doubt that the 

 gravest blunders have been made, and are still being made, in the use 

 of varieties that are entirely uncongenial to certain soils, and the con- 

 tinuance in use of the older sorts, through ignorance that there are 

 better kinds, which would produce nearly one-third more than the 

 varieties now commonly grown. The subject of grass in England is 

 much better understood than with us, and experimental grounds have 

 long been devoted to the purpose of ascertaining what varieties are best 

 suited for the different soils. Here, however, we have already several 

 such stations devoted to the same purpose, but they have not yet been 

 long enough in use to definitely determine what varieties are best 

 suited to the different sections. Of course here the task is a much 

 more comprehensive one that it is in the limited area of Great Britain, 

 as we have such wide variation of climate and soil, so that with the 

 very best endeavors, it will take many years before we can hope to 

 attain to that degree of perfection in this all-important matter that 

 they have now reached in England. In addition to the official experi- 

 mental stations, which are attempting this work in several sections of 

 the country, wide-awake farmers have, by their own efforts, made 

 great improvements in the selection of grasses suitable for permanent 

 pasture or haying lands. The varieties of grasses named in the fol- 

 lowing pages are comparatively few, but they are such as in my long 

 experience I have found of more or less merit. There are, no doubt, 

 many other varieties that may yet be used, that may answer better 

 than some of those named, but we can only anticipate in this matter. 

 Heretofore the base grass, as it may be called, for hay crop in all the 

 Northern States, has been Timothy; but experiments that have been 

 carried on for a period of twenty years have led me to believe that 



ORCHARD GRASS 



is much better fitted to be the leading kind in mixtures, whether for 

 pasture or for hay, or used alone or otherwise; and I place it far in 

 advance, not only of Timothy, but of any other grass we have thus far 



