D. M. Ferry & Cos Descriptive Catalogue. 



51 



bushel per acre, from May first to August first. For 

 grain, sow in drills, one peck to the acre, and not later 

 than June 20th. Fifty pounds per bushel. 



German, or Golden Millet. — An improved variety, 

 medium early, growing three to five feet high. The 

 heads are closely condensed, though the spikes are very 

 numerous. The seeds are contained in rough, bristly 

 sheaths, and are round, golden yellow, and beautiful in 

 appearance. 



From close observation during the past few j^ears, the 

 fact has been established beyond doubt, that seed of the 

 German, or Golden Millet grown in southern latitudes 

 ivill produce a much larger yield of hay than from seed 

 grown in northern or western sections ot the country, 

 and for that reason is far better for farmers to sow. We 

 have a good stock of southern grown seed, and knowing 

 its value, confidently recommend it. Bear in mind that to 

 the farmer, southern grown seed is worth double that of 

 northern or western grown. Northern and western 

 grown seed is degenerated and hybridized with other 

 millets. 



Johnson Grass (Sor- 

 ghum halapense). — This 

 is one of the most valu- 

 able forage plants of re- 

 cent introduction, and is 

 already very popular in 

 the Southern States. 

 It is perennial, a rapid 

 grower, very nutritious, 

 being eagerly devoured 

 by all kiifds of stock; 

 comes early in the 

 spring, grows until the 

 frosts cut it down in the 

 fall; stands the drought 

 better than any grass, 

 having long, cane-like 

 JOHNSON GRASS, roots which penetrate 

 {Sorghum HalaJ>e use. ^ the soil for moisture; 

 superior both as a grazing and hay grass; has abundance 

 of roots which decay, thereby enriching the ground 

 rather than exhausting it as Timothy does ; belonging 

 to the Sorghum family, it contains much saccharine, 

 which is an important factor in the food of stock It 

 will grow on any land where corn will grow. On lands 

 that will produce a bale of cotton to the acre, four to six 

 tons of hay can be cut per annum, cutting three and four 

 times. Heavy fertilizing would produce greater results. 

 The best results follow sowing the seed in August and 

 September, enabling the seed to get a good root by fall, 

 and forming a better turf the following season. Sow 

 with clean seed, broadcast, at the rate of one bushel to 

 the acre, and cover with a light brush, or sow just be- 

 fore a heavy rain. Three good crops the following sea- 

 son will be the result if the season is favorable. Sowing 

 in the spring does well, but the crop would not be as 

 heavy the first year. The seed we offer is of this sea- 

 son's crop and has been well recleaned. One bushel 

 will .sow an acre. 



Hungarian Grass {Panicum Germanicum). — This 

 is a species of millet, growing less rank, with smaller 

 stalks, often yielding two or three tons of hay per acre. 

 It is very popular and valuable with those who are clear- 

 ing timber lands. Like the millet, it is an annual, and 

 requires to be sown every season, but will produce a 

 larger return than almost any other crop. Sow and 

 cultivate like millet. Forty-eight pounds per acre. 



Extra Fine Mixed Lawn Grass {Central Park 

 Mixture). — The essentials for a fine lawn are proper 

 drainage, a careful preparation of the soil, which should 

 be made as fine and light on the surface as possible. 



tliorough rolling, and a selection of the seeds of such 

 grasses as will present a luxuriant verdure from early 

 spring till late in autumn; and then frequent mowings 

 with a lawn mower. However much care is bestowed 

 on the soil and seed, no lawn will be beautiful without 

 frequent mowing and rolling. Too much care cannot 

 be bestowed upon the selection of grasses, as some va- 

 rieties are the most luxuriant in spring, others in sunx- 

 mer, others again in autumn, and a combination of the 

 proper sorts is required for a perfect, carpet-like lawn. 

 We have given much thought and made many experi- 

 ments to secure the best mixture, and think our Central 

 Park Mixture is the best possible mixture for permanent 

 lawns, resisting the severe droughts of our climate bet- 

 ter than any other. It may be planted early in spring 

 or fall, and should be sown at the rate of from sixty to 

 to eighty pounds to the acre, much more being required 

 than for hay or pasturage. If sown in the spring, sow 

 as early as possible, making the surface very fine and 

 smooth, then raking it over and sowing the seed just be- 

 fore a rain which, if the surface has just been raked, will 

 cover the seed sufficiently. If the expected rain does 

 not come cover by rolling with a light roller If sown in 

 the fall, sow before the autumn rains have ceased, and 

 before very cold weather give the young grass a light 

 dressing of manure. One pound of this mixture is suf- 

 ficient to sow a space 30x20 feet, or 600 square feet. 

 Kentucky Blue Grass in conjunction with White Clover 

 forms one of the finest and closest of lawns. For this 

 purpose use three or four bushels of Blue Grass, and 

 about six pounds of White Clover per acre. 



MISCEI.I.ANEOUS FARM 

 SEEDS. 



MICHIGAN WINTER WHEAT. 



A Select List of the Best Varieties Only.— Change Your Seed 

 Wheat and Profit Thereby. 



It is often said that farmers, more than any other class 

 of men, allow the profits which should come from their 

 labor to slip through their fingers, and we think there is 

 no way in which they suffer more in this respect than in 

 want of attention to their seed grain. The different va- 

 rieties of wheat are so similar in the appearance of the 

 berry that it is assumed that there is little difference in 

 other respects, while the truth is, there is scarcely a 

 plant in cultivation in which the varieties are more dis- 

 tinct and seem more especially adapted to certain con- 

 ditions of climate and soil than are those of winter 

 wheat. This is clearly shown by the results of experi- 

 ments and tests which have been conducted for the past 

 five years at the various experimental stations. For in- 

 stance, at the Missouri Agricultural College, thirty- 

 eight varieties were planted under precisely similar cir- 

 cumstances, each year for three years, and as a result 

 they found that while the average yield of all the vari- 

 eties for the three crops, including one very good and one 

 very poor season, was 29^^ bushels to the acre, the 

 average yield of the variety which did the best was 38 

 bushels, and of that which did the poorest 21^ bushels 

 per acre. Similar experiments at the Ohio Experimental 

 Station gave the average yield 29 bushels, that of the 

 best nearly 33 bushels, and that of the poorest 27 bushels; 

 and similar results have been obtained at several other 

 experimental stations. 



Not only this, but these experiments show that while 

 one variety will do the best on one soil, on another it 

 may be greatly inferior to some other sort. We know of 

 two farmers living within five miles of each other but 

 with different soils, who each sowed equal quantities of 

 four different kinds of wheat, keeping a careful record 



