ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION, I5 



After we had leveled the surface of the land, our attention was called 

 to obtain the variety of grasses adapted to th« various conditions of 

 the soils. 



Allow m-e to introduce specimen grasses, grown on all condi- 

 tions of soil of the North-West, also by the system of surface -culture, 

 I will mention a few of the many varieties of grasses that are suc- 

 cessfully grown in the North-West, I shall mention all of the 

 English names that I can apply to them : Timothy, red-top, bent-top, 

 white or brown top, orchard, foul meadow, meadow fescue, rou^di 

 meadow, sheep fescue, meadow oat grass, I'alian rye grass, floating 

 fox tail, sweet-scented vernal grass, Kentucky blue grass, spear 

 grass, blue grass, eragrostis, etc. 



Among the family of clover we have the following list : Alsike, 

 €ommon June, alfalfa, mammoth Italian, white and crimson. 



All of the grasses that I have mentioned are adapted to the soils 

 <of the states of Wisconsin and Illinois, if they were introduced and 

 -cultivated. From this list we select the combination of grass seed 

 suitable for all class of soils, as we are seeding lands by the system 

 used in England, with a large variety of grass in mixture — this has 

 often been explained in previous writings. Since one year ago last 

 June I have been located in Craw Fish Valley, engaged in the work 

 of superintending the improvement of grass lands with the latest 

 improved machines, of which I will submit the following report: 

 My first client, C J. Millard, manager of the Rock Lake creamery, 

 located about two miles south of the village of Lake Mills. Co&t of 

 labor, $1.85 per acre. Land very rough in many parts. Varieties of 

 grass and seed used — timothy, red-top, F. M. clover, sown in the 

 spring. My next client was H. C. Drake, proprietor of the Drake 

 cheese factory. The cost of labor was less than the work for Millard. 

 The cost of seed the same ; also the same combination— Alsike and 

 red clover, sown in the spring. My next was Messrs. Wm. and Geo. 

 !^verson (patrons of the Rock Lake creamer3^) Cost of labor about 

 $1.50 per acre; cost of seed the same as Drake's, also same combina- 

 tion. I was very busily engaged in this class of work till about the 

 first of December, cultivating and seeding several hundred acres of 

 grass land. I wish to notice the result of the work, in the yield of 

 grass those parcels of land produced, also the value of good draining. 

 The young seeding of Mr. Drake's meadow was very light; caused 

 by excessive moisture in the soil, produced by the mill-dam across 

 the Craw Fish river, which is causing very serious damage to a large 



