River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-07-05
GROWTH OF GRASSES.
Useful Experiments Conducted In Abcr
deenshfre Scotland.

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| deenshire. Scotland
Little has been done to ascertain the
value and peculiarities of the grasses.
In order to test the growth of the usual
agricultural grasses. ! sowed plats two
feet square, May 5, 1886. All came up
from May % to 20. A competition for
length eusued uutil june %, when
they commenced to form foundations
Of plants. or what is known as stock
ing" in oats, there not being much
progression in the leaves until the
second week of July, when the leaves
| again commenced to grow vigorously.
The value of the study of geological
relationship in grass culture now be-
came evident. Those that had landed
on soil suited for them now began to
outstrip those that the soil did not suit
Flower stalks of golden oat-grass,
wood-meadow, Italian rye, and form,
appeared by July %. They continued
to grow the first season until October
| ., after which there was not much
progress. Leaves came out early in
1887. In the end of May flowers APP
peared on vernal grass; in early June,
on Italian rye, crested-dog stall,
smooth meadow, wood meadow, and
| golden Oat-grass. A week later on
red, hard, and sleeps fescue. About
June 20, the tall fibrous-rooted Oat-
| like grass, a few stems OF rough mead
Ow grass, lowered; early in July,
cock 's-foot, timothy, meadow, fescue,
and rye grass; middle of July, form
grass, while reed canary grass has not
reached the towering stage. One vail
liable part of the experiments is that it
refutes some misconceptions as to
maturing of the grasses. In case of
crested dog's-tail, it dispels the notion
that il does not come to maturity for a
season or two. 1t was always as Wig
orous as any of them.
As points showing the value of geo.
logical relationship, smooth meadow
far Outstripped rough meadow grass.
| The latter grows best on rich loan, or
clay soil; the former on sandy. Tim
Othy far out-stripped meadow fox-tail,
which grows best on rich loan or clay
soil. Cock's-foOt, which is so much
recommended, grew tough and harsh.
| 1t is absurd and useless to weigh and
calculate the relative value by weight
of produce and chemical analysis when
all are on one soil beside each other.
| As previously shown, those which the
soil suits have the advantage. Then
| in the case of dog's-tail, its use is as
pasture. IL continues to throw up
| leaves the whole season. 1t was of
scientific interest to note how the
fibrous-rooted grasses differed in form
of growth from creeping-rooted ones.
The experiments were conducted in
| Aberdeenshire, Scotland, at Hillock,
Terpersie, by Afford, nearly nine hun
| feet above sea-levcl, but so sheltered
dred that in the open fields lower level
may be quoted. DIR. Parnell, in his
| 'Grasses Around Edinburgh" limits
| the natural occurrence of cock 's-fOOt at
one thousand feet above the sea level.
| Others appeared better than recorded
| by Sinclair, in his experiments at
| Woburn, for the reason that climate
suited them better. Smooth-stalked
meadow grass is an example. Reed
canary grass by the sides of streams
grows from three to five feet, but here
as yet has reached only "A few inches,
the soil being 100 dry. / sowed few
seeds of Anthoxanthum puelii. 1t
grew vigorously, lowered, and died in
1886. 1t is desirable that encourage
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to investigation into the nature of the
grasses, in order to ascertain what are
| best suited for the various conditions
of agriculture throughout the world
| Cor. Ohio Farmer