Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-01-18
Methods Of Seeding With Tame
Grasses

The experiments in seeding tame
grasses on the Nebraska Industrial COL
lege farm as we gather from the report,
gave the following results, timothy, red
clovar orchard grass, and Kentucky blue
grass being used: When sown very
early in the spring, en- fall-sown
rye, where the rye was pas
tured and kept rather short, the
plan was moderately successful. TAe
rye must not be allowed to grow too
high. so rs to shade the growing grass
too much; nor must it be pastured SO
close rs to allow the ground to get heat
ed by the direct rays Of the sun. The
1ramping of the animals pas'uring on
rye was, the report says, evidently an
advantage to the grass, which grew best
where we'll tranped. One patch Of rye
which was allowed to mature, seemed to
to have choked out the grass entirely, OF
what little lived through was burned up
by the hot sun of mid summer after the
shelter Of the rye had been removed.
Another plan tried was the following:
Somewhat late in the spring, after May
l, the land was pIoughed aud sOWn to
winter rye, and well narrowed to COM
pact the soil and give a smooth surface.
On this timothy, clover and blue grass
were sown and lightly br1she! in. Five
acres treated in this way in the spring ol
1882 gave an excellent stand, and grew
we'll through the season. Tie rye grew
slowly, and spread over the ground 81
rs to shade it somewhat without dra wing
much on the moisture. This patch hal
been used for hog lot, and the soil was
not in good condition, but it was desr
able to get it into grass as soon as posi-.
BILE. and the experiment was tried.
The most satisfactory plan tried, how
ever, was to SOW the grass seed quite
early in the season without any other
crop. To secure the best results on this
pfansays the report, the soil should be
ploughed the preceding fall and well
dragged down SOFAS to be in shape to re-
tain its moisture. IT, fall when the
soil is too dry to plougffanp finely and
pack we'll, it would be better to cave the
ploughing till spring. Where, as will
usually happen on old eround;,> weeds
come up thickly, they must be "mown
down several times during the season
A piece sown in the spring of 1882 In
this way grew we'll and bloomed freely
in July. On June 20, one square foot
this grass was cut close to the ground,
and the weight of the green grass was
Juoe CiEs$io ou1CSne. ~ tAIAa ItlLc GlS greer
grass on an acre would have Weighed
over ten tons, and dried would. have
produced over two tons.x4of~--h ay.s 1t is
true that the earlytrpart Of 1882 was
very favorable for the growth of grass,
h but ana equally luxurious growth has
be- seen in otherSvears.A "a I e
Mey also had fair success in @soWing
timothy ,sblue grass, and clover seedS on
| prairieApast where the grass vas
partly destroyed. ! The chief difficulty
appeared IT, he that the stock kept the
tame grass Mpped 9pfso close that it had
but q poor eIiaHce TO grow; and conse.
qqently was a long time in becoming es:
The report on thissSsubject concludes;
The value of tame grasss for pasture in
i this state may be coRsid Bred established
Tame grasses will vied mare food to the
Eacre, excepting only during the dry
| months: they give a full Aponth more 81
grazing IN the spripg befoA prairie
grasses are up, and so mu:h aster in the
fall. Clover and timothy VIII retain
! their hold hing sherd than In the East.
fern States.ss Instha1d riest part sof dry
seasons they became quite brown, We,
Wish fall rains, ,eE-sten the absence oI
excessive drought, they become green
again. There is but one drawback te
their extensive growth for hay; that i
the circumstances that It is frequently
rainy about the dnaa that the tarne>grass
hay is to be made. Vestefss{enral