The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1861-03-21

Essay read SSors sAe pi-ginia Grore Fs-ms-s' CsS.
On Raising Cultivated OF Tame Grasses.
We are beginning, from necessity, TO
be interested in the raising of tame
grasses. Twenty years ago. when the
almost boundless prairies were covered
with wild grasscs-such as the blue
stem, the broad lcafed upland grass, and
the wild pea vine; when there was not
only an abundance for pasture, but for
hay, convenient to every farm, without
fencing. breaking, or sowing, it is not
strange that farmers thought it would
not pay to raise timothy, or that some
thought that the climate and soil were
not adapted to its growth. But now the
prairies are a large part brought under
cultivation, aud of what is lett the wild
grass is pretty we'll killed and weeds are
taking its place. W, cow see in the
place of the herds of sleek fat cattle in
the fall, on tho prairies, those resembling
Pharoah's lean kline, poorer in the fall
thun any cattle ought to be in the
Spring,
We will all soon, and many now, have
to depend entirely on our own lands for
pastures as vel as meadows. We have
some Of US seen crops Of grain raised ev.
cry year in succession on the same piece
Of ground for over twenty years, aud |
think 1t safe to put the average crop Of
wheat On such old land at not above half
of wha, it is on new ground. The aver
age crop Of oats or corn on such old
ground, would not put ut over two
thirds Of what it formerly was, besides
the old land is much more weedy and
difficult of cultivation,
By raising grass aud stock and saving
manure in OHIO, and other old States,
they are Improving instead of impover.
ishine their land. l have not raised
crop of grain yet on any of my grass
lands, but have seen aud heard from my
neighbcrs Of crops grown on such lands
equal to any grown on the virgin prairies.
Besides being a benefit to the land, the
crop will lay, aud pay better than raising
corn or oats at the average price. The
average crop Of hay on good ground is
about two tons to the acre, besides the
fall pasture shortcns the time Of feeding
about two months.
| have had considerable experience
and observation in sowing timothy, clo-
yer, and red top. In Ohio, timothy was
generally soTed in the fall with wheat,
or sowed on the wheat in the Spring,
about the time the snow vas going of or
the frost going out of the ground, 1t
was best for the timothy there to SOW it
in the fall, but not for the wheat, for
sometimes it grew SO thick as to injure
the wheat here or any place where fall
wheat will winter kill, prefer sowing it
in the spring.
l SOW ID timothy seed here once in the
fall and it came up and looked extremely
well, but it Was most entirely winter
killed. sowed it again on the snow
the following March, without any other
grain with it. The first year it would
have made considerable of a crop it it
had not been for the weeds; the second
year it made the best crop of hay that
ever saw. l have invariably succeeded
best with early sowing, so that the grass
could get rooted before the dry weather
set in.
l prefer mixing seed unless sown ex.
pressly for the seed For meadow l
would SOW one peck Of clean seed-one
third clover and two thirds timothy-per
acre. The clover roots deeper than the
timothy. During a dry season and on
dry ground, clover and timothy mixed
will make more than double the hay that
timothy alone will make, and in = dry
fall the clover will grow up and make
good pasture when the timothy will not
grow hardly any. For pasture or to i'm.
prove the land SOW the same quantity
per acre-two thirds clover and one third
timothy; all clover would be better tc
improve the land if it did not sometimes
winterkill.
Mr.. Wright, a former editor of tn.
Prairie Farmer, said that, the best croE
to SOW timothy with, was nothing at all
l fully agree with him that it is best fol
the grass, or hay crop, to have nothing
grow with it. 1t will, if sowed wher
the snow is goi,g of in the spring, o.
the frost coming out, if not too dry
season, make quite crop the first sea
son. Clover should be sowed a it'll
latcr-there is danger Of its Being kille,
by erosts.
1t is thought by some (and one tina
ought to be good authority the edito
of the Prairie Farmer that it is best t
SOW timothy seed with oats or something
with broad leaves and rank growth t
snade the tender plants from the scorch
ing sun aud protect them from tn
blish,ing drouth. But my observatio
and experience teaches me that to so,
grass seed on clean ground early in tn
spring, with no other crop, it will &c
snch a start and SO firmly rooted befor
dry weather sets in, that the dry weathe
in the latter part of the season viii injur
it but little. To SOW with oats OF hur
gsrisn grass, the oat: or hungarian is {
so much quicker growth and takes tn
moisture from the ground and shade
and keeps the dcws from the young era.
On vpuak tbat n fsu hot d,1, S.1,e ;r II