ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 
2 3 
all be treated differently. Often the same eighty needed 
several kinds of treatment, and as many kinds of seeds. 
Red-top wants a wet soil. Clover needs a deep soil, as it 
roots very deep. Much of our lowland was now coming 
into red-top by a process of natural seeding. More seed 
should be used, not wait for nature to seed for us. Timothy 
seems the most natural grass to our soils, and will thrive on 
any vegetable loam soil—but that it easily winter-kills is a 
mistake. It is the fall drought which kills it; it is a bulb 
plant and must have plenty of moisture. Clover is the best, 
all considered : it yields the most abundantly, will produce 
more milk than timothy, but not quite as good for pasture 
as red-top or blue grass. It is a mistake not to try to make 
our land yield more grass ; there is too much loss; we must 
use more fertilizers. Top dressing is good for grass. Clover 
not only yields a great profit, but it is in its nature a fertil¬ 
izer, preparing the way for other crops, especially for oats 
and corn ; we should all raise more—should alternate with 
our crops. And all should remember that grass was the 
farmer’s “ backer.” 
C. C. Bxjell said some recommended muck for a top 
dressing for grass lands. Some was good, some worthless. 
Mr. Johnson wanted to know as to the expense of 
making new land by the use of muck. He lived on the 
prairie, where help at from #15 to $23 per month made it 
too expensive ; could see no profit in it. 
C. C. Buell could not tell as to exact cost or profit of 
using muck. He knew that to make all the barren places 
in our farms productive would remove many “eye sores.” 
He believed the wet places should be made dry, and the 
poor ones productive, regardless of cost. 
