The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-09-26
Orchard Grass.

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It's rapidity Of growth, after close
grazing, and the luxurlance OF its
aftermath, when cat for hay.
Readers Of the Planter are familiar
with Col. Washington's high COM
mendations of this grass and his
useful and highly instructive artl-
Giles on the subject. He has shown
that it can be successfully cultlva-
ted in Eastern Virginia, and should
be more extensively sown than 1t
is. In fact, is indigenous here,
having been introduced into
England from Virginia in the
wear 1864. The lands best suited
to it are drained and dry bottom
land, or rich upland. 1t is useless
to SOW the seed on worn or very
poor land. AS with clover, the
seed are thrown away when sown
on such land. The land must be
capable Of producing a fair crop OF
wheat OF corn. The seed is light
and chatfy, weighing only twelve
pound per bushel, and when sown
sown with one gallon of clover seed
one bushel will suffice. It IS safest
to sow without grain, for If a
drought of long duration follows
harvest, the grass will be greatly
injured if not entirely destroyed.
Seeding alone, without grain, has
the additional advantage Of an
earlier maturity of the grass, there
by affording hay OF pasturage IN a
much shorter time. II sown with
grain, there cannot be a better
preparation than is afforded by q
tobacco lot, the only objection be
ING that the grass canuot be seeded
as early as it should be, as the to-
bacco is not generally all cut by
the 1st Of October. The best time
for seeding is from 10th to goth Of
September. There is another OBJ
lection to seeding wheat and grass
together. If the Winterand Spring
following the seeding are favorable
to the growth Of the grass, it will,
on rich land attain such a vigor of
growth as to seriously Affect the
Weld Of the wheat. In October, Of
last year, we seeded two tobacco
lots in wheat and orchard grass.
In May the grass was twelve to tif-
teen inches high and thickly matted
(for this grass) over the surface.
When the wheat was harvested
(about the fifteenth of June) the
stubble had to be cut some six or
eight inches higher than usual in
order to get the cradle through the
wheat at all, and We cannot but
think that this luxuriant growth
seriously affected the yield of
wheat. The seed can be put in
with brush or roller. We have
found two good sized pine saplings
fastened together add pulled by a
horse or mule to answer very well.
This grass grown IN punches or
tussocks, and does not spread from
the scattering of It's own seeds.
Hence in order to have the ground
entirely occupied, it is necessary to
SOW as much as two bushels to the
acre. But it is much better to
mix with one gallon of clover seed.
The two bloom together, and both
are ready at the same time to be
cut for hay.
One of the chief recommended
tions it has is, that it affords con-
siderable grazing during the win
ter, especially south Of Virginia.
It should not be pastured Gas with
all grasses) until it has gone to
seed, except, perhaps, very lightly
in the fall and early winter, with
calves or a few sheep, provided al
ways the stand and growth are
good. When cut for hay care
should be taken not to pasture it
close during the summer or early
fall, and not until the fall rains
have given it a good aftermath. 1t
would be still better not to craze it
at all during the summer. This is
only necessary for the first two or
three years, until the grass has
gotten well set, for afterwards it is
necessary to keep it.
WHEAT.-The wheat suffered
greatly this year from rust on the
blade. The inquiry has been
made whether there is any remedy
for this dreaded enemy Of wheat.
The disease is fungold in its char
acter, and under the MICROSCOPE
presents the appearance of small
mushrooms. A distinguished Ger
man Agriculturist states that six
hours before sowing his wheat he
prepares a steep of three measures
of powdered quick lime and ten
measures OF COW urine, and pours
two quarts Of this on each peck Of
wheat, stirring the wheat until