m ILLINOIS STATE DMRYMENS ASSOCIATION. 



seed, and the hay from which this seed has been taken can be bought to-day 

 for one dollar or one dollar and a half per ton.) 



The majority of our farmers seem to have a prejudice against any 

 other grass than Red Top, and say our soils are not adapted to the growth 

 of any other variety. It is true Red Top is a good variety for our climate 

 on account of its rooting deeper, standing drouth better, and is less subject 

 to the army worm than any other grass. Clover perhaps excepted ; but when 

 we want good hay, quantity is not to be allowed to altogether supercede the 

 quality of the material needed. 



Timothy, or perhaps Timothy and Clover, are our best varieties for 

 hay, but the question is, can we raise them ? No one doubts but what 

 Southern Illinois is one of the best wheat-producing sections of our State, 

 and where good wheat can be raised. Clover can. We have only one 

 objection to Timothy, and that is it takes more alkili than any other grass, 

 and our soils have less of this to spare than any other ingredient. 



The great objection to Timothy seems to be, with the most of farmers, 

 the trouble of getting a stand. Now we have never known a farmer who 

 has thoroughly cultivated his land but what has got a good stand the first 

 year. Our farmers are to apt to blame the climate and soils when they 

 themselves are to blame. If a piece of land is dirty it should never be put 

 in grass ; my experience has been, that if a field is wanted in grass and it 

 is dirty, it is the best policy to summer fallow it, get it in good condition and 

 sow your seed in the fall ; I have never seen it fail. Then the best grasses 

 for hay are Timothy and Clover, first, because they are adapted to our 

 climate and soils ; second, because they yield as well as any other grass 5 

 third, because stock prefer it to any other hay ; and lastly because they 

 contain more nutriment than any other grasses. 



We might speak of " orchard " grass here as a variety for hay, and 

 would recommend its cultivation to those who believe in it, for it is certainly 

 adapted to our climate — in fact we think it will grow anywhere, but after 

 it is grown, what are you going to do with it. Prairie hay can be bought 

 for less money than orchard grass can be raised for, and it is certainly as 

 gj^od, orchard grass being only ten per cent better than the sage grass 

 grown in the South. 



A word in regard to Clover — our best clover lands are our low, flat, 

 craw-fish prairie lands, where one would think nothing would grow ; some 

 of our farmers seem to have the idea that clover will only grow on " hazel 

 land " or the hill-sides of timber land. While they on this kind of laud 

 raise large crops the first and perhaps the second year, (if the winter is not 



