ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION, 
ly 
use of the plow; as it is more expensive than by the system of sur¬ 
face-culture with the aid of improved machinery, even if the results 
were alike, though we claim the preference in favor of the system of 
surface-culture. 
We will now review the second division of this topic with the 
comparatively and relative value of the grasses in our collection. 
Those grasses that are adapted for permanent pasture land are those 
which will reproduce undershoots or blades, at the base of the col¬ 
umn or stem, when cropped otf. With Kentucky blue grass, or June 
grass, red-top, orchard, meadow fescue, white top, pod annie, pod 
compspa or blue grass, sheep fescue, eragrostis peclurica hordim juba- 
tim, Italian rye grass, sweet-scented vernal grass, foul meadow—all 
°f above-mentioned varieties are grown in the states of Wiscon¬ 
sin and Illinois, therefore they are acclimated to the condition of the 
soil and climate. 
For upland pasture the orchard grass will produce the largest 
per cent, of feed in a given time. I have known it to grow at the 
rate of an inch to every twenty-four hours, for several weeks. This 
grass is a great favorite with the men who have tested its values, in 
our section of the state. The meadow fescue is a very valuable grass, 
and is well adapted to the upland, also to the lowlands; if they are 
well drained. This grass does not mature as soon as the orchard. 
My specimen is from eight first seedings. The sheep fescue is very 
much like meadow fescue in its growth. The Italian rye grass is do¬ 
ing very well in our vicinity, which can be seen by the specimen we 
have in our collection. Agroslus alba, or white top, is a very valuable 
variety of grass, which grows quite extensively in our lowlands, which 
produces a large yield of feed much sought after by all kinds of stock. 
The foul meadow grass cannot be too highly prized for the lowlands. 
This has become very popular within the past few years, as it is giv¬ 
ing universal satisfaction to all who have introduced it into their 
lands. It flourishes as well on quite moist land, and yields often 
eight tons per acre. The past fall I have cultivated and reseeded one 
hundred acres of lowland for A. R. Earl, Esq., one of the farmers in 
the town of Astalon, Jefferson county. Used a strong proportion of 
the foul meadow in the combination of grass seed ; also mixed with 
the combination of grass seed about sixty bushels of dry, unbleached 
ashes. Demand for this valuable grass seed is very rapidly increas¬ 
ing each year. All of the varieties of grass that we have named are 
adapted for the dairy stock-grower’s farm. 
