Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-15
FARM AND GARDEN.
REMARKS ON GRASSES.

New York State Dairymens' Associa-
ton, the subject Of grasses was dis
cussed at considerable length by men
of large experience in their use and
cultivation. Mr.. Gould, of Hudson,
said there were 5000 varieties of gras-
ses, and he would ike to know what
varieties were most esteemed IN Cbau-
tauqua county. Mr.. Stevens in reply
stated that most farmers seeded their
lands with timothy. June grass was
the earliest in spring, was indigenous
to the soil of the county, and was con-
sidered very valuable for pasturage.
White clover is also indigenous and
valuable. Orchard grass has of late
been tried, and was much liked. Al
sike clover after being cut does not
readily start again. Mr.. o. H.
Fields had grown AIsike clover
with the best results. He tried it on
the poorest land, and it did well 1t
gives good crops on wet and clayey
soils. Capt. Merry, of French Greek,
had grown orchard grass on gravelly
soil with great success. 1t grows well
on wet and dry lands, starts very early
in spring, at least ten days earlier than
any other grass. Ira Porter said that
orchard grass required careful sowing,
and did not come to its full productive
ness until three years after seeding.
He was growing it ON gravelly and in
ferior lands very successfully. 1t was
early, nutritious and highly relished by
stock of all kinds. Mr.. Gould said the
great want in pastures was 4 variety Of
grasses, so that one growth shall sue
coed another through the season.
Orchard grass is ten days earlier than
am other, which is a matter Of
much Importance to the dairy farmer
in spring. 1t has a tendency to grow
IN tussocks, but this IS easily overcome
by narrowing or rolling. If this be
followed by June grass, then by quack
grass, and this by timothy and red-top,
and again by blue grass, all in regular
succession, pasturage would be much
more productive than usually obtains.
The quack grass he thought was very
much mahgncd, as it was productive,
nutritious and gave good flow of rich
milk,
The "quack grass" of New York is
the triticum repeHs Of hOtanists. and
has runners like strawberry plants and
Bermuda grass. 1t grows well in the
South. The June grass" of the North
is one species of blue grass:
and not our Kentucky blue
grass. It has stolons or
runners like quack grass and Ber-
Enuda. Dairymen and stock growers
naturally want..a firm turf to stand the
tread Of cattle, and yield feed the year
round as near as may be. Hence. as
suggested by Mr.. Gould, every pasture
should have a variety of grasses, that
some viii grow in the spring, others in
the summer, others in the fall, and in
our climate some in the winter season.
There is great art in forming first
rate pasture or meadow on any COM
mon land. As reported in the Rural
Ne'O Yorker, Mr.. Lewis, a large dairy
man Of Herkimer county, said:
For summer he considered grass the
best food for dairy cows, and for winter
early cut timothy or clover, with roots.
OF roots, beets were preferred. He
deprecated the use of corn meal. and
said It was not adapted to the dairy
COW, since 1t passed directly to the
fourth stomach, and hence Welded but
little nutrition. He believed In theuse
of different kinds of grasses-tbree
make a more perfect sod than two.
He would continue the rule of adapta-
ton to everything on the farm. The
cows should be the best Of their kind,
and have the best care for their COM
, fort. As to the milk, care should be
taken that it be clean and sweet. He
closed by saying that he was once
asked by grocer to point out the
trouble with a ceruain specimen of
cheese. He smelled it and tasted it.
and mashed it under the thumb and
finger. 1t had a bad smell, and it
tasted as bad as it smelled. 1t APP
Peared to be rich, but the flavor was
nasty. The whole trouble came from
the milk not being adapted for making
the cheese-that is t. say. there was
not enough milk in the cow manure to
make a good cheese"
Cows poorly fed cannot make either
rich manure or superior cheese.
LUCERN OR ALFALFA IN CALIFOR.
MA.