Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1853-09-15
NEW GRASSES.

NEW GRASSES.
The Patent Office has undertakes to
distribute of late the seeds of two new
grasses by sending them into each state
in the Union for trial. One of these is
CALIFORNIA Clover-TrJolium Califor.
nienSis purp,rea. The other is The Al
falfa, or Gillian Clover, Medicdgo sat
ira, a sort of lucerne, well known in
Chill. Concerning this latter grass, a
California paper says:
1.-The alfalfa is a species of lucerne,
greatly in use as forage for animals in the
mining districts of Chill. 1t is a vigor.
Gus grower, requires little labor, and fur
nishes two crops year of most untriti-
Gus food for stock Of all kinds. As it is
well known the mining districts of Chill
are for the most part very sterile, and
the rain is of seldom occurrence. Nat
ural grasses are therefore of scaniv
growth, aud the miners are compelled to
rely for The maintenance of their animals
upon The alfalfa estates which lie within
the valleys of that mountainous region.
The supply would, however be Who'll
ly inadequate were not the plant SO re-
markably prolific, and possessed of such
extraordinary nutritisus properties. With
the addition of little barley, il is found
TO keep mules in the best working con.
d:lion, and consequently the owner of
one of these alfalfa haciendas is abe to
draw from his estate a much larger rev.
enue than ii cultivated in grain. In its
green state cattle feed it with the utmost
avidiiy, and acquire flesh so fast that il
is practice in Chill to drive herds from
the grass pastures Of the south for hun
dreds of miles, in order to obtain the ben
eft of its use. The land is prepared for
the seed of this plant in the same man
ner as for clover, il being in truth of the
same family as the latter.
DIR. Tschuli, in his Travels in Peru,
states that this plant is cultivated in great
abundance throughout the whole OF Peru
as fodder for cattle. II does not bear
great humidity, nor severe heat or cold,
yet its elevation boundary is III 100 feet
above the level of the sea. On the coast,
1t fiourshes very luxurianlly during the
misty season, blu, during The months of
February and March, Corresponding
with our Angus. and Septembsr,) it al.
most entirely dries up. In the noun
famous districts, it is also mos, abundant
during the humid season, but as soon as
the first frost sets in, it decays, takes a
rusty brown color, and remains in bad
state until the beginning OF the rainy sea.
son. On an average, the alfalfa may be
cut four times in a year, but in the eleva
ted districts only three times, and in hu-
mid soils on the coast particularly in the
neighborhood of rivers, five limes.-
Once in every four or five years the al
falfa fields are broken up by the plough,
and then sown with barley or maize
The sixth year alfalfa is again sown.
The most favorable soil for the growth
of this plant would appear 10 be deep
and sandy loan, such as the alluvial de.
posts along rivers and streams, or the
fertile prairie and bottom lands of the
South end West. 1t is not adapted for
heavy lands nor those which are wet
Being deep rooted plant, j, requires a
soil that is loose, in order THAI its roots
may penetrate to considerable depth
Ii the soil is not sufficiently light by ma
ture. il should be made so by the use OF
the spade or sub-soil plough"
We suspect that i, will be found much
like lucelne in its habits. That grass
has never succeeded IN the United States
ofar as we are aware.- Prairie Farmer.