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ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 67 
too severe,) yet it will sooner or later, freeze out; when in the low, flat 
lands it will stand for from eight to ten years. Have seen two and one-half 
tons per acre cut OS' this kind of land. 
As to what grass we should use for pasture I do not think any one 
grass alone is good. We should mix them, and the more varieties the 
better, as long as you leave orchard grass out. Red Top, Clover, Timothy, 
and Blue Grass, make in our region a splendid pasture, although in time 
the Timothy will disappear. 
Our county though, as a .general thing, is not adapted to the growth 
of Blue Glass, for the reason that our soils do not contain enough lime, but 
we have no doubt as the country gets older, and artificial fertilizers are more 
used, our soils will become more adapted to the growth of this best of all 
pasture grasses. But before we can succeed in the cultivation of grasses 
we must first put our land in shape to receive the seed, and this can only be 
done by thorough cultivation; plow deep, pulverize well, and thoroughly 
drain your land, and then whatever grass is best adapted for the purposes 
for which it is needed, is the grass to raise. 
We might speak of grass as a manure, but will only say land should 
never be allowed to remain idle without being seeded down in some kind of 
grass. There is no way in my judgment that land can be so cheaply 
improved as by turning under a good stiff sod. This will be very apparent 
when we consider that the sod (Red Top,) on an acre of land, to the depth 
of four inches, will make four hundred cords of sod, which being made 
into compost, is equal to one hundred loads of barnyard manure. 
H. W. Mead was not a speaker. What little he knew 
about grasses, he had learned from experience. He used 
mostly Timothy and Clover. Red Top done well, but 
■vould run out all other varieties. ' Blue grass was good, 
so was June grass, to mix; Red Top, Foul Meadow^ and 
Blue Grass, were about as good as any he had tried; it 
made a good, fair root, did not easily kill out, would 
remain as long as any variety he knew of. 
Mr. Sherman asked as to how he mixed Timothy and 
Clover, when seeding. 
Mr. Mead : I use three to six pounds of Timothy to 
one peck of Clover. 
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