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THE RURAL MEW-YORKER. 
small, and for several reasons:—There is gen¬ 
erally such a diversity in the character of soil 
on every farm as to make different kinds of 
grasses advisable, in order that each may 
have a location suited to itself. Variety in 
herbage gives a change of food in the stable 
and forage adapted to different classes of 
stock; and where there is a well arranged 
variety in the grasses and clovers grown, the 
labor of curing these crops is advantageously 
distributed over a much longer period than 
where one depends upon a single kind or a 
single standard of mixture. 
Orchard Grass is a variety which has no 
superior for pasture or hay, and it matures so 
early that the crop may be easily got out of 
the way before Timothy or Red Top is fit to 
cut. But Orchard Grass must have a good, 
strong soil, and can be made most profitable 
by keeping laud thus seeded m sod for a series 
of years. If cue twice a year or three times, 
as is often possible, it must be liberally top- 
dressed. With the land previously in good 
condition aud a well prepared seed-bed, Or¬ 
chard Grass is very satisfactory, grown by 
itself. For this purpose, I would sow it as 
soon as the laud can be put in order in the 
Spring, or in the latter part of August, using 
at least two bushels of seed to the acre, put on 
with the greatest care, as it is a difficult 
material to handle. In 1884, Orchard Grass 
was in bloom in May at Houghton Farm, and 
good hay was made the first week in June. 
The period of cutting, as to maturity of plant, 
should bo regulated according to the use to be 
made of the hay. 11 can bo cut so as to make 
hay as fine as any rowen or coarser thau any 
heavy Timothy. If a mixture is desired for 
hay. Tall Meadow Oat Grass aud clover are 
the best for maturing with the Orchard Grass. 
If for pasturage, use one bushel each to the 
acre of Orchard Grass and Kentucky' Blue, to 
which six or eight quarts of medium Red 
Clover may well be added. Liberal seeding is 
necessary if land is not first class either in 
quality or mechanical condition, to allow for 
lost seed. And if the land is in first-rate order, 
liberal seeding pays well in a close, even sod. 
Although Orchard Grass is hardy, furnishes 
the first green bite iu the Spring, and the last 
iu the Fall, and usually provides good protec¬ 
tion with its own aftermath, it will winter kill 
where not well covered with snow, if the land 
is moist. It prefers a location rather high 
and dry, naturally or artificially well drained. 
Timothy is not a favorite of mine. Its hold 
upon the land is too slight, and, as a rule, it 
falls off in yield too fast after the first crop. 
My preference is to treat it like a grain crop 
—sow alone on well prepared land, iu August, 
a half bushel of seed to the acre. After cut¬ 
ting the first crop, turn over at once, mauure 
aud re-seed; or cut once, tup-dress well, cut a 
roweu crop, then one crop the second year, 
plow and re-seed. I kuow of no suitable mix¬ 
ture for Timothy, if for hay, and do not con¬ 
sider it os desirable as a large port of any mix¬ 
ture for pasture. 
A late crop can be obtained from mixing 
Red-Top and Kentucky Blue Grass, a bushel 
of each, ami if the land is somewhat light and 
motet, Alsike Clover (say four quarts) may be 
added. But Alsike varies so with locality 
that it seems necessary for every farm to be 
guided by a trial of it. 
Of all the clovers, the Medium F 1 is the 
most satisfactory, but on account of its early 
blossonn'ug and drying. I would not use it 
with any of the grasses except Orchard aud 
Tall Meadow Oat. Clover, like Timothy, is 
most profitable unmixed, and may be sown on 
fall or spring graiu, 25 or 80 pounds to the 
acre. Then cut only one year aud turn under 
for corn or some grain crop. We succeed 
well lu sowing clover with oats, but prefer to 
cut off the oats and cure as hay, while early 
‘‘iu the milk.” We have uot got out of the 
ruts sullieiently yet to prevent seeding all 
grasses und clovers used with wheat, rye, and 
oats; hut 1 do not believe it to be good farm¬ 
ing to try to grow two crops on the same 
laud at the same time. 
• Hungarian Grass is a valuable auxiliary. 
Where a piece of grass or grain, which looks 
well in the Autumn or even in early Spring, 
shows in May that it will not produce a pro¬ 
fitable crop, its fragments may bo depended 
upou to do most good as green mauure. Then 
plow late in May, luruiug well, harrow two 
or three times at intervals, sow Hungarian 
Gross the latter part of June, cut it iu August 
and rc seed the land. Hungarian, accord¬ 
ing to ago at harvesting, may be adapted to 
any class of stock. It makes quite a draft on 
the land, aud, either when it is sown or with 
the following crop, a dressing of cheap fer¬ 
tilizer, is no more thau fair, like agricultural 
salt, kainit, or the raw ground Carolina phos¬ 
phate. Knowledge of the faffs in every case 
must determine wbut can be meet economi¬ 
cally used. 
In all cases, I would put a seed-bed for grass 
into the best possible mechanical condition, 
aud sow the light seeds with u wide dropper, 
as on a grain drill, or “the wheel-barrow 
sower,” running close to the ground, and the 
heavier saeds-Timothy,Hungarian and clover- 
with a broadcast, centrifugal sower. Then 
iuvariably, or excepting only cases where 
there is danger of forming a crust, roll the 
land well. 
Houghton Farm, Orange, N. . Y 
PROF. E. M. SHELTON. 
The question of the growth of the cultivated 
grasses among farmers in Kansas takes pre¬ 
cedence over ail others, social, political or 
agricultural. A meeting of fanners, held for 
the purpose of discussing farm questions, is 
certain to develop a large amount of talk 
about the “tame grasses," and that subject 
always gets the best place in the programme— 
the session likely to be best attended, and at 
which the interest promises to be best sus¬ 
tained. 
This interest in grasses seems surprising 
when we consider that Kansas was originally, 
and is now to a considerable extent, a great, 
grassy plain, giving support to innumerable 
cattle, wild and tame; but it ceases to be a 
matter of surprise when we remember that 
all over the State, everywhere, these wild 
grasses, like the Indian and buffalo, diappear 
as civilization advances. The native grasses, 
valuable as they are to the raueber and 
herder, are worthless to the farmer. They 
cannot endure close cropping and tramping, 
and they cannot be replaced by seeding, aud 
so have no place in a system of soil cultiva¬ 
tion. 
What grasses will replace the wild sorts is 
then the uppermost question in Kansas agri¬ 
culture. In attempting to answer it I shall, 
for the most part, write from data furnished 
by the College Farm during the past 12 j'ears. 
That the facts of this experience, if literally 
followed, will uot prove reliable to farmers 
outside of Central Kansas, is certain. For 
example, I have grown Alfalfa upon the Col¬ 
lege Farm for 10 years with the most satisfac¬ 
tory results, aud yet I know farmers, living 
but a few miles distant, who have failed 
miserably in their efforts with this plant. 
Differences of soil, subsoil, climate and, per¬ 
haps, management, afford amplB explanation 
of this difference in results. Again, Kentucky 
Blue Grass and Timothy have been with us 
complete failures from the first, while iu the 
eastern portions of the State, in many locali¬ 
ties as far west as the College Farm, these 
standard varieties have been grown with a 
good degree of success. These facts lead to 
the remark that details of experimental un¬ 
dertakings can hardly ever be copied literally 
to advantage. The published experiments of 
the various stations, as well as the experi¬ 
ences of the general farmer should never be 
read in the spirit of the servile imitator. 
The facts presented, however valuable, ought 
not to be accounted more than suggestive, 
and should always be taken with considerable 
allowance for differences in soil, climate aud 
management. 
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) as above stated, 
has proved with us the most useful of all 
clovers for the purpose of pasturage. It en¬ 
dures uninjured close cropping, all kinds of 
stock consume it greedily, and it has never 
winter killed. It makes hay of fair quality 
in immense quantities, (we have cut 4)4 1011 
crops during one season). Nevertheless, in 
any country iu which it rains, Alfalfa is not 
to be recommended as a hay crop. It re¬ 
quires much field room iu curiug and soon 
spoils with light rains. These facts suggest 
the principal objections to Alfalfa as a hay 
crop. For hog pastures 1 know of no other 
plant so valuable. Let me give you a single 
fact in proof of this. During 154 days—May 
12th to October 18th—last year, a measured 
half-acre of Alfalfa gave a meat product of 
888 ponuds of pork. During this time this 
half-acre gave support to uine pigs, each of 
which, however, received daily two pounds of 
ear corn. Alfalfa rejoices iu a deep, rich 
soil aud permeable sub-soil only moderately 
moist, and it delights in that climate which 
has the longest Bummer season, and the great¬ 
est number of days which scorch aud burn 
with true torrid fervor. Where these condi¬ 
tions are wanting, it is hardly worth while to 
try. Alfalfa. Bow when the spring season is 
well advanced, upon a well pi epared seed-bed. 
using not less thau 20 pounds of seed per acre. 
Orchard Gross (Daetylis glomerata). Of 
all of the very large number of grasses that 
have been tested at the College Farm during 
the post 12 years, this has proved the most 
generally useful, because; 1, a “stand” is 
easily aud quickly obtaiued; 2, tt yields won¬ 
derfully of pasturage aud hay if the land is 
good; indeed Orchard Grass is such a gross 
feeder that it is not worth a triol upon very 
poor land; 3, it does not winter-kill, does not 
“head out,” is uot injured by too close crop; 
ping, and will survive an uninterrupted four 
mouths’ drought. 1 could name for it other 
virtues, but perhaps these are sutHeieut, The 
quality of its product, whether of hay or 
pasturage, is good, if iu the one case it is kept 
grazed down moderately close, and if the hay 
is cut early: but old, woody Orchard Grass in 
any condition, is not relished by stock. It 
will grow in tussocks unless very thickly seed¬ 
ed, and it is generally recommended that the 
seed be sown libefally in order to overcome 
this tendency. I am strongly disposed to 
doubt the wisdom of this advice, and am very 
much of the opinion that when this grass is 
allowed to “!>ave its own way” and grow in 
bunches, it will yield much more herbage of a 
better quality than where its habit is curtailed 
by thick seeding. Orchard Grass, it should 
be remembered, is put to its most profitable 
use by the grazier; where the object is hay, a 
half-dozen better sorts might be mentioned. 
1 have obtained the best results in using one- 
and-a-half bushel of seed with three quarts of 
Red Clover seed per acre, sowing in the Spring 
upon well prepared ground. 
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) is a very 
safe crop evon at points many miles west aud 
south of Central Kansas. Nearly all of the 
good things known of clover east of the Mis¬ 
souri River,may be repeated of it as cultivated 
west of that muddy stream. In the West 
however, I would never sow clover except in 
the Spring, and always without another crop. 
Tall Meadow Oat Grass (Avena elatiori I have 
cultivated for a number of years and quite 
satisfactorily. It is one of the earliest grasses 
to appear in the Spring, aud consequently 
gives excellent early feed. It also yields very 
largely of somewhat coarse hay, which, I am 
bound to add, is only moderately relished by 
cattle. Oat Grass seems to be quite exhaust¬ 
ing to the land, and even more than Orchard 
Grass, it demands for its successful growth a 
rich and deep soil. Upon fertile bottom lands, 
where the object chiefly is hay, and where the 
future condition of the soil cuts no figure in 
the farmer’s plans, I expect Oat Grass to get 
a strong position. 
For English Blue Grass (Festuca elatior), 
the seedsmen send me, sometimes Perennial 
Rye Grass, and about as often Tall Meadow 
Oat Grass. He who cultivates Perennial Rye 
Grass for the Festuca will be grievously dis¬ 
appointed, for the latter is immeasurably 
superior to Rye Grass. English Blue Grass 
has been very successfully cultivated in the 
eastern edge of the State, and as far west as 
Manhattan it has given good satisfaction. I 
have often wondered that the cultivation of 
this grass has not been more widely extended. 
It gives a good amount of early and late feed of 
good quality, aud yields heavily of hay, which 
our stock have always consumed with evident 
relish, and it endures dry weather, in strong 
lands, without injury. People east and west 
can afford to give this Festuca a trial. Sow 
two to two and-a-hal f bushels of seed to the 
acre. 
Johnson Grass (Sorghum halapense) is re¬ 
ferred to here, not because I believe it to be 
of any value to farmers East or West; but 
because it has received a qualified indorse¬ 
ment from the Rural Experiment Grounds. 
I have grown this grass upon the College 
Farm for three years without discovering in 
it any qualities of real value to husbandmen 
of the Northern States: 1, It is almost com¬ 
pletely destroyed by the freezing of every 
Winter; 2, it is the very latest grass to make 
its appearance in the Spring, rarely appear¬ 
ing above ground much before June; 3, it is 
cut to a level with the ground by the first 
frost in the Fall; 4, the coarse, woody herbage 
which it yields is rejected by our stock with 
evident disgust. The fact that it endures 
drought well, giving a large yield of hay dar¬ 
ing its short life seems to me an insufficient 
reason for cultivating it. 
My experience with the special matter of 
seeding grass lauds points steadily to the fol¬ 
lowing as the method likely to be most satis¬ 
factory: 1, For seeding, prepare the ground 
by plowing and harrowing as thoroughly as 
though wheat was to be sown. 2, Sow the 
grass seed in the Spriug, and not too early. I 
have bad best success with seed sown about 
the middle of April; but I have been well 
satisfied with the results of seediug delayed 
after the lfith of May. 3. Do uot seed with 
another crop, as wheat or rye, any more than 
you would plant corn or sow oats with these 
other grain crops. 
Ag. Col. Manhattan, Riley Co., Kansas. 
-*♦«- 
PROFESSOR J, TROOP. 
In recommending grasses for the West, 
where stock-growing is one of the leadiug in¬ 
dustries, it is of great importance that we 
select those which will uot only yield au abun¬ 
dance of hay, but also a good supply of nutri¬ 
tious pasture. Where hay is the main object, 
popular opiuiou, at leust, would at once sug¬ 
gest Timothy, as the one containing more 
flesh-forming materials than auy other except, 
possibly, Fowl Meadow Grass (1’oa serotiua) 
or Wire Grass (Poa compressa) both of which 
are richer In those materials than most 
farmers suppose. As a pasture grass. 
Timothy is one of the poorest, as it produces 
but little “aftermath,” and will nob stand 
close feeding. It forms the main bulk of the 
hay crop in this section; and on our rich, 
moist prairie soils it produces abundantly, fre¬ 
quently two and-a-half to three tons per acre. 
For cattle feed it is usually sown with Red 
Clover; but. as it ripens later than the clover, 
it must necessarily be cut before it has com¬ 
pleted its growth, or the clover will have lost 
much of its value. The seed is usually sown in 
the Spring with wheat or oats. When sowed 
alone, 10 pounds are required per acre. It 
should be cut while it is still in blossom; for 
if left till it ripens its seeds, the nutritive mat¬ 
ters will be converted into seeds aud woody 
fiber, and if cut at this Btage, most stock would 
prefer good oat straw. 
Orchard Grass Is one of our best grasses, 
both for hay and pasture. It ripens with Red 
Clover, hence is far superior to Timothy for 
mixture with it. As a pasture grass it has no 
superior standing close feeding admirably, 
and, as I have frequently noticed in our ex¬ 
perimental grounds, continuing to grow when 
others are completely dried up. It should be 
sown in the Spring without any other crop, 
and 25 pounds per acre usually produce the 
best results; one and-a-half to two tons per 
acre is an average yield. This, also, should 
be cut while in blossom. 
Taller Fescue is, I am sure, destined to be¬ 
come one of the leading grasses of the West 
when our farmers become better acquainted 
with it. It blossoms about the same as Timo¬ 
thy, and the two make a very good mixture. 
It succeeds admirably on our rich prairiesoils, 
growing from four to five feet in bight, with 
a heavy growth of leaves of which cattle are 
very fond. This, like Orchard Grass, should 
not be crowded; hence should be sowed alone, 
or with some other tall-growing species, on 
well prepared land. Sow 30 pounds per acre 
when sowed alone, and cut ad the time of 
blossoming. 
Meadow Fescue (Festuca pratensis) closely 
resembles the above in all respects, expect be¬ 
ing smaller; for which reason many might 
prefer it to the other. 
One of the earliest and best grasses for per¬ 
manent pasture, aud one which makes excel¬ 
lent hay is the Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus 
pratensis). When sown on rich, moist land, it 
furnishes a good pasture two or three weeks 
earlier iu the Spring than most other grasses. 
It blossoms about four weeks earlier than Tim¬ 
othy, and may be cut the second time later in 
the season with good results. It yields much 
less hay, however, than Timothy, seldom ever 
producing more thau one aud-a-half ton per 
acre. Fifteen pounds of seed are required per 
acre, sowed the last of April or first of May 
on well-prepared land, with no other crop. 
We have found that the best results are ob¬ 
tained by cutting it just after floweriag. 
Another early grass, which is highly recom¬ 
mended in some sections of the country, is 
.Meadow Oat Grass or Evergreen Grass 
(Arrhenatherum avenaceum). This grass was 
not known by farmers generally until quite 
recently. It makes a rapid and continuous 
growth, and produces from two to three tons 
of very nutritious hay per acre. As a rule, 
however, stock like it better when mixed with 
some other grass. The seeds are quite light, 
and many of them abortive, so that from 25 
to 80 pounds per acre are required to insure a 
good stand. This also should be cut while in 
blossom. 
While Kentucky Blue Grass (Poa pratensis) 
is recognized as one of the best pasture grasses 
known, it is usually omitted from the list of 
meadow grasses, on account of its being a 
light cropper; and, indeed, this is the case 
when it is grown ou light, sandy soil; but I 
have often seen it on low, moist land standing 
over (our feet iu bight, and as thick as most 
meadow grasses usually are. It produces a 
remarkable growth of leaves when grown 
under favorable circumstances, specimens of 
which have been fouud to measure over four 
feet in length. The trouble with this grass 
(as with many others) is that it is not usually 
given a chance to do its best. The same may 
be said with reference to Fowl Meadow Grass 
when grown under similar conditions. Sow 
two bushels of seed per acre, the last of April, 
on low, rich laud, aud cut just as the seeds be¬ 
gin to ripen. 
In regard to clovers, I have found nothing 
as yet quite equal to the old Red as a forage 
plant. Wheu sowed with Orchard Grass, it 
produces an abundance of tirst-elass hay, es¬ 
pecially suitable for cattle. It should be sown 
in the Spring (April), aud when sowed alone, 
lt5 to 18 pounds per acre are required. If 
mixed with Orchard Grass, sow eight pounds 
of the former and 15 of the latter. They 
should be cut while iu blossom. 
Iu localities where droughts prevail, Lu- 
cern or Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is much 
valued by some ou account of its deep-rooting 
habits, which enable it to flourish where other 
