The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-08-13

| HOW Cultivated Grasses and ClOvers Car
BE Introdu eed on Native Prairie
Soil.
The Value of Sunhowers as Fuel and Fooe
for Cattle---PrOgress In Cattle
breeding.
IMPROVING PRAIRIE SOD.
The native grass that covers the prai
ries in those portions of the west where
there is considerable rainfall affords ex.
cellent feed for stock during several
months of the year. 1t does not, how.
ever, spring up sufficiently early in the
season to afford good feed when ami
mails are first turned out to.graze. 1,
is also likely to become thin after it has
been eaten off close for several years
Many farmers who desire better pastur.
age than mat Afforded by native prairie
grass break the sod, and after raising
flax. corn, and small grains on the land
few years seed it down to mixed grass
es and clover. These are cut and
cured for hay till most of the clover and
timothy disappears. when the land is
devoted to grazing purposes. IL takes
several years to obtain good pasture in
this way and calls for large expendi-
ture of time and money. Ii the land is
nearly level and the soil of about the
same quality, an excellent pasture may
be obtained by subduing the native sod
and introducing mixture of improved
grasses and clOvers, and by giving it
occasionally top-dressing it may be kept
productive for many years.
A more economical method of obtain
ing good pasture, however, is to in
troduce the improved grasses and clo-
vers on the native sod. The labor re-
quircd to effect this change is small and
the outlay of money is confined to the
amount required to obtain seed. TIE
ground continues to produce food for
stock till the new fodder plants have
obtained a start. 1t can be prepared
for the seed by burning il over during
the latter part of the summer, calm
day being selected for the purpose. The
heat will destroy the roots of the native
grasses that are near the surface of the
ground, and thereby leave space in
which the seed can terminate. A scarf
tier or harrow can be employed to good
advantage to break the sod sufficiently
to afford the seed Il chance to rest on
mellow soil. But small amount of
earth is necessary to cover the seed, as
it should not be buried deeply. The
seed can be sown on the scratched sur
face of the ground and the first rain
will wash a sufficient amount of soil
over it to afford the best conditions to
secure termination. A very loose soil
is unfavorable to the termination of
small seeds.
The grasses and clovers to be intro
duced on IL native prairie sod should be
selected with reference to the character
of the soil and the elevations of the sur
face. If the soil is of nearly uniform
quality and the surface nearly flat, a
mixture of timothy, red-top, orchard,
and blue grass, with some common red
md Alsikc clover, will insure a most
elegant assortment of forage plants. II
there is a variety of soils. however, and
part of the land is much higher and
drier than others. it is best to try and
introduce the kind of grass and clover
that will succeed best on each kind of
land. Red-top and meadow grass do
exceedingly we'll on somewhat moist
soils, but they are entirely unsuited to
soils that are high and dry. Red-top
will grow in dry soils anil on elevated
positions, but it will have Scanty foliage,
while the stalks will be hard ana wiry.
Alsike and Swedish clover is most suit
able for tolerably moist land, and it is a
very valuable plant to raise in pastures.
Blue grass has no superior for land
Astounding in lime, and which is moder-
ately dry. 1t requires several years,
however, for the plants to become of a
size to occupy the land even when con-
siderable seed is sOwn. Once introduced,
however, it will remain i'm the ground
for unlimited time, and will afford more
food every year. Orchard grass is very
valuable for a pasture. 1t starts very
early in the spring. will stand constant
feeding without injury, will produce
more food than any fodder plant that
requires no cultivation, and is preferred
by all kinds of stock. 1t will flourish in
a partial shade, but is not adapted to
land that is very moist or very dry. II
is not good grass to introduce on land
that is likely to be required for cultiva-
ton, as its nature is to form hassOcks
and to make an uneven sod that is very
hard to break. When inverted by the
pillow it does not dccomposc like the sod
formed by the roots of some grasses.
Timothy, especially when mixed with
other grasses. makes an excellent fod-
der plant, which springs up early in the
season. AS the seed is much cheaper
than that of orchard or blue grass, it
can be introduced ut comparatively
small expense.
White clover is a very valuable plant
for a pasture, especially one in which
sheep are kept. As the seed is expen-
sive. few farmers can afford to sow
much of it. 1t is desirable to make n
little 90 long way. 1t is good plan
to sow small amount of seed in few
suitable places and to allow the plants
raised to spread over the adjacent
ground. rs they will by means of their
creeping branches. If the drOppings of
cattle be broken up early in the spring.
and scattered about, a pinch of white
clover seed can be planted on the
good stand be obtained. The grass
roots that were covered by the dung
will be likely to be killed, while the soil
will be very rich. The plants procured
on picc of land foot in diameter will
in few years extend over large space.
In introducing grasses and clovers into
native soil it is best to commence on the
side from which the prevailing wind
comes, Us it will aid in scattering seeds,
when the plants are old enough to pro-
ducc them, over the rest of the pasture
land. Red-top and blue grass furnish,
if they are not moved, large amount
of seed which is scattered by the wind
over land in the vicinity Chicago
Times.
PROGRESS IN CATTLE-BREEDING.
An old-style. conservative breeder
was heard to remark to young man
just contemplating starting in the bust.
ness: 81 have no patience with the nom
sense of some neOphytes in the breeding
business, those who say you must look
to the system of management in raising
the animals as well as to their strain
and purity of blood They might as
well say that it is what an animal eats
and not its blood that gives it value"
And one, who heard this remark, said
afterward that this conservative breed
er's cattle looked as if they must be
priced wholly for their blood. as they
would never attract attention for their
symmetrical development.
There are few breeders who vet
think the entire merit of an animal
must be in its pedigree. but these ara
rapidly growing less. and the progress
to be noted is, that intelligent breeders
arc more carefully studying the most
important subject of Authorization. They
do not prize blood the less, but they see
more clearly that the development of
the animal. whatever its blood, depends
upon skill in feeding. In fact, unskill.
ful fccdinp will brine any strain of