The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-09-02
TIMELY TOPICS.
A Dissertation on The Raising ana
Cure OF tiraS es.
About the Water Supply OF the
West.
relcc Cuttl,g and It's Causes

DALLAS, Sept. l.-[Editor Herald +
TOO much has been written on TINS suc'
iect by theorists without experimei tal
knowledge. A great deil OF ESTABLISH co
fact can be stated in few words, namely,
that all who exp'li uent for pisturage al
hay.producing results, beyond excepton,i
lit a spots ami extra preparation, win
h ne grass, timothy and red clover, VIII
simply lose their labor. The same isequaI'y
trae Of maly fruits, which belong iarthr
moth, but Tor practical results are failures
here. These remarks may be hereafter us
nroven in the Panhandle. north OF latiI ude
Mo. South OF Red river, in settled Texas,
,hav ara demonstrated facts. In sandy
soIl shaded py open woods, blue grass may
and has survived the summer but as pas
turage IL IL an utter failure.
The farmer and stock-raiser wants nay
and grass Tor pasturage--the pest Ol ehoh
Nearly all of west, northwest, ana SOUTH
west Texas is blessed with mesquite grass
the value OF which is known In all those
sections. IL also prevails ana ID ahhuaily
spreading in the more central poitohs ~
the state. II prot cited aud allowed TO ma
ture, It's seeds, which are light and easily
diclously sown IN the autumn, us sptehu
would be much more rapid. IL lsa snort
and dense grass when fully develourd, m,
affords good pasturage the whole year, II
allowed re asondOio ,,,hu iOf rest ann I"Vu
marathon at proper Intervals When II LOOKS
10 stranger like dead grass II Is OF the MT
ture OF cured hay, aud very nutritious
But In no ca e does H. grow 10 sufficient
height for hay-making.
The commOn gr.sses VI the prairie lahus
Throughout the state, those on fertile SOILS
being the best, Afford good pasturage, de-
pendent on the location, north ana south
from early in April on the coast I'll killed
by severe freezes. or successive heavy irosts
IN the winter. Take the common prairie
Tor pro II. aud why so2 Because they have
10 often seen these grass pastures through
out the growing season unto death ahd
their places taken by thistles and q wood
like weed, TIL the prairles around town,
aud In thick settlements would ne dehuueu
OF grass. 81 have | la cases without end
and 30 have / seen the llamed aud tena
cious Bermuda grass, when III a smal
yard, killed utterly by chickens plucklnl
every green blade as II appeared above
ground. But III Dallas and nelghborinl
counties Tar more pleasing sight mas lOnl
been witnessed, first In isolated ana since
in an annually increasing ratio, TIL tint
has fully established the following idcs
First, that when graLed reasonably ana y
times allowed little repose by Transferring
the stock TO another place or adjoining
pasture-in other words some. degree o
alternation--these rich piairie grasses i'm
prove year by year Secondly, that NOW
Ing the grass before the seeds OF weed
ripen the weeds are destroyed. Will CIV
an example coming under my own observa
ton eleven years ago and watched Tor hev
eral years. A farmer OF Dallas count'
fenced In pasture OF good prairie land
literally taken with weeds aud thislles
rendering the frat Gro? OF hay almos
worthless, like much that is sold In Dalla
vet from unfenced and hitherto unknown
land. But this gentleman moved his pas
ture twice the first year. AT such times
TO prevent seed ripeniny In both summe
and autumn OF weeds and thistles. Tn
sec md year he was rewarded With excellen
ald clean hay and after That II remained a
clean as s,,sSouri timothy. Fhlsgentlemai
Ia my friend, Vol, George Wilson. nea
Cedar Hill. | should add that the adJoln
lug pasture, until fenced and 'reatea u
like manner, continued 10 produce III
same useless crop. The same course ha
been extended more or less all over III
county with like results, TIL now the it'll
boys on our streets, when hay wagons ar
daily passing, mark the difference betwee
this clean, sweet aud nutritious hay, an
That other s,uni which produces SOr
mouths In cows and horses, and is otte
hall r. ieCt, 4 as worthless. A mans herI
u he be wise, will DO limited by his pastorH
capacity Tor grazing without destroyln
his grass. point some OF on
old lree and open grass brett
rem find II u little Crampir
10 adopt. But fate bids them to co
dow sqrarely to that other. aud no. -. :.
or doc,rine OF fewer but larger > al
valuable animals. This must sSlScs W. |,
this point
Nearthe coast besidestN v,,,s0.n.r,,
auu W .1u io,, 4, ~, extent the WHIT
nusluso I"n'a an "a ." aud In spots nearly
Wv, WV a'ase, ""' seeds with beard on
r,ia nasr IN N the yard OF Mr.. gohn
hiadsd and Alas, there Is rich, bro
,naIi" " H." rigorous grass, found ON Ian,
,o o' % be moist but not marshy, CO
s, EnOwn as gamana grass, but whetl
~. eouy 30 called | do not know. II
one II grows four or five feet high aud
-yield Ia enormous. IL cut when about TIL
feet high II makes juicy and tender h,
but II allowed to fully ripon the blades
come tough, with sharp edges and ste
will not eat II. For some years II v
bAled and shipped from lndIdnola on
turning lumber vessels ~ Mobile aud T.
Bacola, aud was preferred In those pln
TO tho famed hay brought down IT,
Maine. Ii has long been too closely y
tured to Yield its wOntod b0unuiul crops
hay, hut VI fenced aud protected II viii
once ro.assert It's power.
Hut aside from all these,
and other native grasses, we nov h
another which seems destined to vi
wealth TO our country-a Comparai
nteanger, with tho non. bot anical name
johnson grass" but believe classed
come as perpetual sorghum" This n
deserves the attention of the people Of /
state, aud especially Of the strictly ste
raising portion, more 10 the west, WHIT
In the long agD, some Mrs. Grundy or
Histerin.law sad II never ratned, aud M
from her 80 insist yet, although II produ
bigger melons, pumpklns and sweet W
toes and taller, and sweetest sorghum q
any other part OF the state.
The enormous yield ot Johnson grass,
capacity for yieldingtw to four clips OF
per season, dependent ON location, its Z
ness nutrition aud the greed withwhich b
cattle aud horses consume u, are fully
tested after ample tests by the most int
gent, experienced aud successful agti
turAlists In Dallas county-al Kent
a =
! p grass doth make men feel knightly p
! L Ia their inheritance, via; The broth
- ~ William and Walter CAruth, five m
, 4 north ~ Dallas, aud MIR. Wihism LII
near Hulohens. It's propagation
easy, aud believe there
thousands OF places In
valleys OF the upper BraRos, .
RADIO, Red river aud Wichita, and their IL
merable tributaries where, from the a!
lat aud iriabe nature OF the soil. II MAJ
propagated and become seltspreading
large districts without the expense OF {
ing. That II will flourish through extr,
drOuth no one will doubt who will exam
Its large and deep roots MIR. Little asse
N late communication In the ID
HxRALp that,i for grazing, one acre OF u
equal to five acres Ia blue grass In !
lucky, 30 FAR as seen have no reaso
doubt the estimate, aud II this be only
TALLY true, who can ioresee the mil