The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1862-02-20
Tame Grasses.
(From the Cedar Falls Gazette.)


farmers in our Valley should pay more
attention to the cultivation Of tame
grasses. Our wild prairie grass, is be.
coming scarcer every year. The tramp.
ing Of the sod by the herds of cattle
that roam over our unocupied lands
has caused the grass to die, and coarse
weeds to take its place. Wild hay
brings to-day in this market, from three
to five dollars per ton, three eights Of it
IS waste, large coarse weeds not fit for
bedding. One ton Of good Timothy
hay will go farther than one and three
fourth tons Of the wild hay we buy in
our market. We are satisfied that
Timothy at 81 per ton, is cheaper than
! the wild hay at So per ton.
! Mr.. Edward Smith. the gcntlcmanly
President Of the Scott County Agricul-
tural Society who lives near Davenport
told me that he has 50 acres of Timothy
meadow, that cut him $50 tons of fine
hay the last year. He has sold one
hundred and fif',v tons of it in the Da-
venport market At t8 per ton readily.
The whole wonld amount to $4,000 at
IS, he says that 81 500 Of it is clear
gain. lie cnt but the one crop. III the
Fall he pastures his stock on it until
snow. We will from time to time give
all the information ON this subject that
we can gather. We clip from an ex
change the following:
81 think that the sowing of grass seed
on our prairie sod in the spring, and
narrowing in, is y useless expenditure
| have seen it tried but never have
known it to succeed well. The prairie
grass sod is too tough, and the roots run
30 deep that tame grass seeds find but
poor chance to get foot hold. Upon
some Of our rayincs or sloughs, were il
can be pas,ured quite closely so as to
keep the wild grass short, red top seed
may be sowr, and in few year, it will
partially work out the wild grass; bu,
then your crop can never be as good as
if the slough had been tira, di,ched and
well subdued, and after y few crops OF.
grain had been raised, seeded with red
top, and rolled with heavy roller. In
this way you will have meadow tha,
is meadow. an Of our prairie ground
should be we'll subdued before grass
seed Of any kind is sown.
Most Of our top soil i to light or
looseformed by the many annual burn
ings Of the prairits, and the decay Of the
many annual growths of grass, leaving
some several inches Of light black soil,
which is as loose as ashes. This should
be worked in with the sub.soil by
several deep plowings. Then you have
a more compact soil and the grass roots
will set moro firmly. If sown at the
first or second year after the prairie has
been broken, the soil is SO light that the
grass, though it may start well, will in
year or two partially dry out or stand
in stools, which makes Lnt poor mea-
dow. Clover, ifsown npon new ground
will do better than timothy, having
long tape root which will bring its sup
port from far below the top Of the
ground. Therefore, to get little tame
grass as early as possible, plow deep
and sow clover with spring wheat. Wet
the wheat and mix the clover seed
with it thoroughly, and evenly then
SOW while wet, thus the seed 10 evenly
sown. If sown separately it is very
difficult to sow grass seed evenly, par.
ticularly if thero is any wind. Roll
after narrowing.
For timothy, raise two or more crops
Of grain; plow deep, bring up the sub.
soil; then SOW as above described.
Oats will do to seed with but wheat is
better. Oats shade the ground Too
much. Fall seeding does very we'll.
After crop of wheat or oats has been
harvested, plow deep, sow the grass
seed, harrow and roll. This should be
done in August or. the first Of Septem-
Der. Keep all cattle and sheep Off.
next year NOW. Quantity Of seed
eight quarts of timothy seed If sown
alono is sufficient. If mixed with clover
four of timothy and three Of clover is
about right per acre.
G. G. TAYLOR.
Pleasant Ridge. Rok- Island Co., H.,