Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-06-10
kkOuf Grasses.

TIMoTHY.-Nearly all the hay which
enters into the commerce of this coun-
try is made from this grass. 1t has
greater weight and more nutriment in
the same bulk than any other kind. It's
great yield, its adaptation to land too
moist or wet for grain crops, the time
of its maturing being after the grain
harvests, and the continued growth of
nutritative elements In the blades and
in the stalks during and after the flower
ing and the ripeniDg of seed, make it
the best of our grasses for hay. Cut at
this time when it retains the ripened
seed, ii unites more than other grass es
the nutrition of the seed with!an undimi-
nished value of the stock and the leaves.
The change it undergoes is very gradual
and hence delays from the demands of
other work, or unfavorable weather, are
not unusually injurious. ITS defects are
that it does not start early in the spring;
that the aftermath grows slowly, al
though it is very nutritious, and that
when fed alone as hay it is binding from
its heating qualities. For the farm
stock its best to feedit with other less
heating foddering substance, as corn
fodder or clover hay. -
This grass is indigenous to Great
Britain, where it is called cats tail, from
resemblance. of the panicle to a cats tail.
But in this country it has derived its
name from Timothy Hanson, who was
the first to bring it into public notice.
RED CLovER,-Although this plant
belongs to the legunain GUS fsIaily, yet in
common use the word Grass embraces
clover, and from this fact, and its use as
a grass for hay and pasturage, IL is here
noticed as grass. Itoccupies higher
position than another grass in the
economy of the farm, for the hay is unr
equaled for farm uses; its second crop
yields seed of great commercial value;
as pasture from the beginning of May
to the LIST of September, it is superior
to any other; and as fertilizer for the
soil, By blowing full clover crop I'M
der, it has no equal in any other plant
To its heavy and enriching top it adds
corresponding root, which penet ates
deeply, adding to the depth as well as
fertility of the soil -
Asa pasture, it is better adapted DUR
ing the summer season to fattening pur-
poses than any other grass for farm
stock, but especially for cattle, hogs and
sheep. Its adaptedness to fine summer
butter-making has rendered the butter
of New York so superior, and its suit
ableness for hogs has assisted much to
swell the pork product of the West to
its greatness. hsj =, -.
The red clover is of two Kinds-the
small; blooming twice in the season, the
second of which is seed producing, and
the large, which blooms but once. The
latter is not generally known, being
limited to few localities. 1t is far more
productive than the small, grows COM
paratively better on poor soil, but its
hay is coarse. The time of its ripening |
the seed renders it well adapted to mix
ing with timothy, which, by itsistrong
growth, assists in holding up the clover,
for it falls on the ground when raised by
itself alone.
The objections to clover are, that hav-
ing root with "a crown, it is'forced up
ward by the expansion of the soil in
winter freezing, and is often frozen out.
To considerable extent this may be-
helped by rolling in the spring It is a
biennial plant, and not per enrial, and
hence requires to be resown often. But
it readily seeds itself when not pastured
too closely in the fall, and meadows of
mixed clover and timothy, win endure
many years without breaking up.