LAYIHGr PEAIRIE TO GRASS. 61 



found sliort-lioTiL stock the most profitablej wMcli is no doubt 

 chieflj owing to tlie higli prices lie is enabled to realise in tbe 

 sale of well bred stock for improving* the breeds of the coun- 

 try. But be bas not found them so successful on the natural 

 prairie grass, of wbicb on bis own lands be bas no longer any. 

 Though the prairie grass may be extirpated in time by close 

 feeding, he has found it the best practice to break it up, and, 

 after a co^e of tillage, to sow the W out with blue grass 

 and clover. The blue grass is a rich thick succulent grass of 

 a bluish colour, which grows with great success on the lime- 

 stone soils of Kentucky, and is found to succeed admirably on 

 the prairies when laid down as pasture. It improves every 

 year, and yields feed for six months, besides half feed during 

 the winter, whereas the natural prairie grass is in its best state 

 only for the first four months after spring. Mr. Brown has 

 all his lands now laid down in ^Hame'* grass, as the sown 

 grasses are commonly termed here. He keeps no stock except 

 his thorough-bred short-horns, and lets his surplus grass for 

 grazing at one dollar a month for each animal, during the 

 summer and aui^umn. He feeds bis own stock during winter 

 on the pastures, giving them corn and hay in time of snow. 

 As he can buy Indian corn in his part of the State at an aver- 

 age of 8i. a bushel, he has no doubt that this is the kind of 

 farming which best suits Illinois. He had tried sheep, and 

 found them to do well, but having no taste for them he keeps 

 exclusively to cattle. 



There were various novel agricultural implements exhibited 

 in the show yard. Ploughs mounted on an axle, with high 

 wheels, the only advantage of which seemed to be that a seat 

 was thus provided for the driver. There were seed planters 

 of ingenious construction, a circular self-cleaning harrow, which 

 always goes round about while being dragged forward, — ^little 

 hand machines for washing clothes upon, which are said to 



