Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-06-19

The value of a meadow consists in
the amount Of hay it will produce.
Therefore, since it must be cut and
cured to be availablc,i it should be
sown to such grasses rs will ripcm ut
a given time or nearly SO. With pas
lures the case is different. The
greater number of good grasses You
can get into the pasture, the more
valuable it will be, and it is not nee
cssary that they mature at or nearly
at, the same time; the pasture will be
better if they do not, for this success
sion will give more feed than if there
4 flush OF grass during one portion of
the season and a scarcity at other
times.
If there were such variety sown
as to give constant succession of
growth, the pasture would be always
green, where there was sufficient to
support growth. This is not always
the case in the United States, and es-
pcciaily in the West. Our annual
drouths of July and August are ter
ribly severe on both meadows and
pastures. Nevertheless, we believe
it will be possible, with care in the
selection of proper grasses for sow
ing, to have pasture, if not of En-
glish grccnncss, ut least such rs will
compare favorably Herewith, except
for about Il month in the heat of sum
mer.
Asshowing the great value Of mix
ed grasses for pasture, it will not be
out Of place, although this has been
heretofore discussed in the Western
Ruroi, to note the fact that single
square foot of very rich natural pas
t,irc in England has contained 1000
plants, $40 of them being natural
grasses and sixty of them clover and
other plants, the whole number i'll
GLIDING twenty varieties. Another
meadow, irrigated and otherwise car
fully managed, in Il square foot OF
sod, l,7O2 plants of natural grasses,
and ninety-six of clover and other
plants.
Again, as showing the necessity of
thick seeding, Il mixture Of twelve
varieties of grass, aggregating forty
pounds per acre, gave, according to
Flint, on ''Grasses and Forage Plants,
the enormous number of 54,OOO,OOO
seeds, or about nine per square inch.
Consequently, to produce the number
of plants given in the case where
1903 plants were found per square
foot, we should be obliged to SOW
twenty-five per cent more seed than
forty pounds per acre. From this il
is safe to say, first, we SOW too little
seed for permanent pasture, and also
rs Il rule, we SOW too few varieties.
The following is list of grassc,
that it would be well to experiment
with for, permanent pasture in thu
West, which we give in the order o
their ripening, and with the number
of pounds per acre to be sown tn tho
mixture. They are: Swect-scentee
vcrnal grass, one pound; orchar'
grass, seven pounds; meadow foxtail
two pounds; meadow fcscue, three
pounds; Kentucky blue grass, tiv,
pounds; red top, four pounds; Italian
rye grass, three pounds; timothy, 81!
pounds; white clover, three pounds
This would give forty pounds to TIN
acre, and the principal sown are those
known to do well in the West. If tn
object be to produce thick matted
sward as quickly as possible, the rec
clover may be omitted, although it il
probable that this grass would b.
soon crowded out, in any event, ant
the pasture would eventually consis
of those grasses most suitable to tn
soil and climate.
If the pasture be much shaded will
trees, blue grass, orchard grass, rough
stalled and wood meadow grass am
white clover should predominant. |
the pasture be quite moist, timothy
red top, foul meadow, meadow tescuc
and white clover shouldpredominate
with perhaps some Alsike clover
Whatever the kinds sown, if first
class pasture is intended, so soon Il
the sod gets firm to bear the tramp
ling of hoofs, it should be closely fed
and kept rich, but never allowed t
be trampled when in a soft and mir,
state, as the case early in the spring
and sometimes after long continued
rains.- Western Rurul.