The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1883-03-08
THE TAME GRASSES.

A correspondent of the Seneca COnr-
Ter writes an interesting and useful
letter to that paper on the subject
named at the head of this article, from
which we make the following extract /:
"There is another point | wish TO
speak about, namely, the relative capac-
ity of tame pasture to carry stock as
against wild pasture. Tame grass will
carry at least Is head of thrce-year-old
cattle on 20 acres from April 25th to
November 18th, or % months, equally
as well as wild pasture will carry 8 head
from May 1st to October LIST, or 5
months. Now, taking the difference of
time in consideration, the relative ca
pacity is more than two to one on
the same amount of land. In cutting
both kinds for hay the difference is
fully as great, aside from having the
late pasture on tame grasses. From
these trials and results, it shows that a
farmer can carry as much stock, keep
ing so acres under cultivation and so
acres i'm tame grasses, turning some OF
the fields over every year and seeding
others afrcsh, and realize as much on
grain, pork, seed and cattle as he can
on 800 acres, having 160 acres under
cultivation and 160 acres in wild prairie.
With the former he will not need to
feed grain while feeding tame hay, as
stock keep up well in flesh without
grain, which cannot be done on prairie
hay. lie can raise more corn to the
~Ritku lass labor, on clover sod
an on corn stubble
- the same time keep
- rom weeds and enrich
his land. He gets better growth on
hogs ON clover pasture, with but little
grain, than he can by feeding his shoats
all the corn they can eat, and keep them
in a yard or on prairie pasture. l
would advise every farmer TO give it a
good trial. j am confident that he win
never regret it,"
All that this writer says about the
general Importance of the subject to
Kansas, and the great profits to be
made by the culture of the improved
grasses, we are prepared to endorse I;
but the experience of this writer with
timothy and bluegrass will not, we are
confident, be borne out by the expert
cnce of farmers in the central and west
ern portions of the State. A large cx-
perience and observation of these
grasses west of Topeka has convinced
us that, for this section, they are great
" inferior to half dozen other sorts,
particularly orchard grass, clover, Eng
lish bluegrass, or meadow oat grass.
Those who intend to cultivate the
tame grasses in Kansas cannot afford
to lose sight of the fact that the agri-
cultural experience of the eastern Sec
ton of the State is, for the most part,
worthless as guide to the cultivator
of our western prairies. In nothing is
this so true as of the cultivation of the
improved grasses. Bluegrass along
the Missouri river, and for some miles
westward, is a most valuable pasture
grass, making the pastures of this Sec
ton rivals, in point of productiveness,
of the famous pastures of central Ken
lucky. At this point, however, as we
have repeatedly shown, bluegrass is
almost valuelcss in general farming,
giving but scant feed during limited
portion of the year. Timothy has
proved, in like manner, almost worth
less. In some respects, 1t may be said
to be even less reliable than bluegrass.
as It suffers seriously from the attacks
of both chirch-bugs and grasshoppers.
A mixture of 1-2 bushels of orchard
grass seed and two or three quarts of
clover seed to the acre of ground will
give, in this section of the State, during
an ordinarily favorable season, stand
of grass that viii be very valuable for
either pasture or moving; and, where
large crops of hay, and for pasture for
hogs particularly, are desired, alfalfa
win prove to be just the thing for the
man who knows how TO handlcit. But,
of all crops, avoid those grasses which
are only known to DO valuable "in the
East.r-Rsvf SAelton.