The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-10-12
The Cultivation Of Orchard Grass.

Nix. EDrroR.--Seeing your remarks in the
Times OF the 18th ult., about the knowledge our
farmers have upon the cultivation Of Orchard
Grass, concluded to make my maiden effort
Ut book farming. 1t is u lamentable fact that
our farmers know too little about the cultivation
vi the Grasses.
Orchard Grass is Of the greatest importance
to the Souiher Farmer. In our latitude there
is grass that 80 fully meets the demands Of IL
summer pasture rs the native grasses we 80 per-
sis,ently fight. For midsummer pasture the
crop crow foot stands preemineutly at tho
head OF all others, and there is section of our
country more fully supplied with midsummer
grasses-vr of better quality-than we arc
Then what we want mvst is u Fall, Winter and
Spring Grass. This demand the Orchard Grass
| most Iully meets.
1t does not ucceed well in damp bottom lands,
but luxuriates in q dry rich soil, and wears the
same cheerful garb through Fail and Spring
which the chilling blasts OF December and Jam
| uary cannot blight or check.
IL is said that this grass never spreads from
| scattering of its own sseds,-which popularity
| am unable TO account Tor, t>indced il is true
therefore, the first seeding should be very
| heavy-not less than TWO bushels to the acre
When the stand is imperfect it tends to ..stoor'
aud presents very unsighty appearance, und
also acceleratcs the washing VI the land; where
rs, if the stand is perfect it most eifectually
| stops all washing by forming thick strong
turf.
This grass should be sowcd from the middle
Of SeptcIaber To the middle Of October, though
| it, can be soweu in ;he Spring au, sometimes do
we'll.
| The preparation Of the land should be thor
| ouSh we'll pulver!zcd 10 II considerable depth
and, II not rich, IA dressing of barnyard manure
should be applied. l say barnyard manure be-
cause believe it to be better tnan any CONNER
cial fertilizer.
| have a lot in Orchard Grass, and where [
put fertilizers-three of the most popular kinds
| Peruvian Guano excepted the grass is percep-
| ubly inferior to where it received dressing Of
stable manure, broadcasted on top of the ground
after sowing.
Orchard Grass grows well in an Orchard and
| even III woods properly thinned out. Where q
pasture is the object | would advise the sowing
of Orchard Grass alone, and change the stock
to another lot III summer and early Fall. Where
hay is the object, SOW Orchard Grass, Meadow
Oat Grass, with red and white Glover, as each
OF the four are ready for the scythc at the same
| time, making dense crop of excellent hay Cut
when the grass is i'll bloom if left to seed it
loses its sweet succulency and is dry and hard
| Sow bushels Orchard grass, bushel Meadow
Oat half gallon of red and one quart white Clo-
| yer to the acre. This amount of seed willinsure
stand, and one good seeding is cheaper than two
| poor ones, and more profitable in the end The
emily way to succeed with any cultivated grass
is to SOW enough seed to come up and take pos
session Of the ground at once and leave no foot
| hold for obnoxious weeds
If | have impaired any information that will
make a single Farmer grow Two blades of grass
where n Ragweed grew before | shall be well
paid for the blush at the beginning of this NV
first attempt.
| This article cannot he called "book farming"
| for, being Farmer myself l know whereof
speak. | have tested the above by actual cxpe-
riment, and you can perceive that ''gee'' and
| ''haw are better understood by me than the
rules of literature, and that | arm more used to
the hoe than the "grey goose quill.
TURF SOD.
| DEsTRUCTIvE FIRE.-About3 3 o clock last Tues
day morning, Col. James Farrow discovered that
his residence was on fire. II Immediately gave
| tlc alarm, but the fire had made such rapid pro-
grcss before being discovered that it was impos-
sible to arrest its ravagcs; consequently, the
| building, with nearly its entire contents, were
soon reduced 20 ashcs-Co Farrow and family
consisting of his wife and little daughter, bare
ly escaping, and only partially clad. few
trunks, containing bosks papers and some 9TH
er articles, were saved. All the household fur
niure, beds, bedding. bedsteads provisions,
&c, were burned up, leaving the unfortunate
occupants almost destitute Of even the necessary
| wearing apparel. Generous shelter, however,
was offered them by kind friends, and they wero
| rescued from the rain storm that was then de-
sccnding in considerable severity. The proper
| ty destroyed was owned by DR.. J. =. Hunter
! but occupied as before stated. The building
though one Of the oldes. in our village was q
valuable one. we'll situated ard is a serious loss
to ts owner. The fine is supposed to have been
purely accidental. and } have originated from
the pipe Of cook stove in the body of the
I'lll lInu . J., .VHiS jJ,yrii