Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-05-07
he snrino rains start the seed and the

he spring rains start the seed and the
growth is substantial, strong, and
hardy and the crop becomes well
rooted aud firmly established before
the hot weater arrives. | have tried
this plan more than once or twice
without any failure, while in seeding
with grain there have been many
failures.
i am inclined TO think that we
make a mistake in our usual method
Of seeding to grass. The complaints
of failures to catch ere quite frequent,
and really good catch is the ex-
cep;iou.'
4 have not had a really good catch
of grass and clover in 20 years.
think the weather in spring is drier
than it used to be- remarked the old
gentleman.
There is always good excuse fol
avoiding q true reason, and m's'
people are very ready to deceive them
selves, said Mr.. Martin. All the
supposed reasons why grass seed
misses are, to my thinking, nothing
but evasions of the well known fact
that the soil is poorer than it used t.
be. There is something in that idea
that grass should be sown by itself
1t is the only crop grown that is per-
mitted to be sheltered to death and
smothered in the process. When the
soil was fresh aud rich, 1t was well
able to sustain both the grass aud the
grain crops, and perhaps the grain
crop was all the better for what the
grass took from the soil; but now the
soil is able only to grow one crop al
one time, and the weaker Que crop al
one time, and the weaker one goes tC
the wall when an attempt is made
to grow two at once.
Farming is poor enough business
now, and how can we make it pay eX'
penses, If we lose crop every time
we seed down. said the old gentle
man.
what do we lose? replied. You
usually seed down with rye or wheat.
You get perhaps II o. 10 bushels Of
either, and that scarcely pays for the
SEED, harvesting aud threshing.-
Besides, every time a catch of grass Is
missed, you lose the value of the seed
and the labor OF sowing it. Now, il
the rye or wheat crop is abandoned
and the care given TO that, is devoted
to getting in the grass and clover IN
good condition, you would hive a cror
of hay to cut the first season, if a good
catch is secured, and for three or fouI
years afterwards you would have
double returns from the hay or pas
ture. This will be worth m're than
the loss on the grain crop, | think.
The truth, Is we do not make halt
The use we should of our natural gras
lands. A moist soil with abundance
of decaying vegetable matter in ii, is
the best land for giass, aud there are
millions of acles of just such Lam
ab ,rdoned to reeds and rushes ami
frogs. These swamps remain us less
and positively injurious, becau'e we
either will not dram or recl1im them.
or know not how to go about it
Again, it is a general opinion that our
climate is unfav. rable 70 grass, and
that permanent pasture is something
we can never hope for, | cannot
believe it. We are continu lily break
ing up our grass lands Instead OF
manuring them and encouraging IN
abundant growth of grass As soon
as we get fir sod, the plow is pat
into it. and it is turned under to get a
good crop OF corn; and the work OF
years is thrown away and made use
less just at the time when tits bring
ing forth its slowly,maturing fruits
feel sure that if all our swamps were
reclaimed; seeded to the proper
varieties of grass, and reasonably
managed. they would produce as lnucl
grass as is now grown on the upland'
leaving these to be plowed and mad,
fertile with manure made in grea
part from the products OF these
natursl-grass lands.