The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-07-24
INDUSTRIAL TOPICS
a Practical Method Of Introducing Improved
Grasses on Land without Plowing-Ais-
~cellaneous Notes.
Sowing Grass-Seed on Sod

II t4h up nov 4ahd 4
the west for stock-raising purpose
desire to obtain the best grass for pas
turage in as short time as possible
The common prairie grass and blu
joint are excellent at certain period!
of the grazing season. They max,
good stock-feed while they are swee'
and tender, and animals lay on fest
well when they are in that condition.
Toward the end of the grazing season.
however, they are likely to become
tough and dry, and cattle hat feed
entirely on them very often become
constipated. Even if their digestion
remains good they do not gain as they
do when the grass is sweet and tender,
They only eat of it to satisfy their
hunger. They do not eat because the
taste of the grass is gratifying to
them. as it is in the early part of the
season. Few of our native grasses
spring up after the fall rains and
afford as good food as they furnish
during the spring and early summer.
On this account it is desirable to in
troduce varieties OF grasses that will
supply better food in the fall. To
make the most out of land devoted to
P"oeoAO OQA ROcOo ~ 6uOul0 pIOQuC6
sweet and tender grass from the time
vegetation commences to grow in the
spring till it is killed by the frost in
the fall.
The usual plan of introducing what
are generally called the cultivated
grasses is to destroy the native sod by
turning it over and putting it into
some crop that is harvested. Corn or
flax is generally raised the first year,
and this is followed by corn and some
kind of small grain. 1t is seeded down
to grass or clover, or both, IN three or
foul years after the native sod is
broken. The process of introducing
new grasses is a long, loborious, and
costly n 1t not only calls for work.
ing the land during several seasons,
but for fencing 1t in order to protect
the crops that are sown. The ground
thus prepared and seeded is not in a
condition to use it at once for a pas
ture. There is no sod to sustain the
feet of the animals while grazing up
on it. In walking over it during wet
weather the roots of the grasses are
thrown out of the soil and are killed
by the action of the sun in summer or
WAAbCA. IL 10 SCnCIdll1 ucC- |
essary to keep stock off from land
seeded in the usual ann for at
least one year, or till such time as a
somewhat firm sod is secured. Dur
ing this time the grass Is cut and cured
for hay.
Various methods have been suggest
for introducing the improved
pasture-grasses on native sod. In a
great majority of cases they have not
been very successful. Much of the
seed sown has been wasted, for the
reason that 1t never came in contact
with the soil where it could germinate.
If it did terminate, the young plants
made a very slow growth. In the
case of bluegrass, it did not become
visible for several years. When a
sharp harrow OIL scarifier was used on
he sod before the grass-seed was
better results were secured. So
great has been found the difficulty in
Introducing this variety of grass and
lover into native sod by means of
the seed that many have adj
transplanting small sods of
bluegrass and white clover and al
owing them to spread and take pos.
ession of the ground. This plan, how
yer good it may be for a small pasture
designed for a single COW, Is entirely
mpractlcable for a pasture in which
eyeral hundred cattle are to be kept.
During the past two years MI.
George q. Subway, son of l.. B. Sid
7ay, Esq, of this city, has been en- {
aged In preparing a stock farm of Q
bout n thousand acres in Barry !
southwestern Missouri. Most
I the land is timbered, but the trees .
chiefly small and at considerable y
apart. Some of it was free i
ON trees, and a considerable portion =
as been cleared. The tract has a 9
ariety OF soils. A part of the land y
a rich valley, a portion table land, !;
nd the remainder a rocky hillside. q
native sod was composed of blue 7,
int and common prairie grass. 1t !,
as the desire of Mr.. Subway to re- ~
ace the native grasses with blue and u
'chard grass in the shortest time pos "
Bile, and at the least expense. He ~
the seed of these grasses on the y
d atdifferent times in the year, aud e
'ticed the results. He observed that
me spots on the open range that had W
= 0NSA ~ ONCl III Luc ldll, WIN -
or spring, but over which fires IL
d u in the midsummer, produced a.
arcely any grass the next season. 81
lis indicated that the fires kindled at oN
is season of the year nearly or quite w
led out the wild grass. The burn ~
2 proceeds very slowly atsuch times, st
there is no wind, and the combus-
n of the old and dry grass, and that II
lich is green, produces SO much We
as to kill most of the grass-roots. ia
Subway sowed orchard and blue in
ass seed on the spots where fires had 70
en- started during the summer by ac- on
lent, and found hat he obtained a fe,
stand. About the LIST of last Ju- eg
he selected adry. hot, and calm day, pc
q burned the grass on a tract con-
ming sixty acres. Last March he eli:
we'd the SEED OF orchard and blue TIL
ISIS on this land, but used no harrow tic
covering it. He sowed the seed an
ring a drizzling rain, when the ia:
'und was quite wet. The seed ger th,
mated at once, and grass soon coy sh,
d the ground. In sixty DAYS stock
s feeding on the orchard-prass. -