Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-07-17
FARMER AND PLANTER.
TEXAS BLUE GRASS.
Something About This New Favorite
Among Southern Farmers.

AS there is growing interest in this
new favorite among Southern farmers,
| will contribute mite Of what know
OF IL as matter of information. 1t is
not, as some suppose, plant of very
narrow geographical range, being found
in Ellis and adjoining counties only,
but it is widely disseminated in this
State, and have good reasons to think
1t may be found in the Indian Terri
tory, Colorado and New Mexico.
know of it as far west as the Colorado
river in Texas on the thirty-second
parallel, and as far north as Red River
on the one-hundredth meridian, and
northwest to the heads of the Colorado,
Brazos, Wichita, Pease and South Fork
of Red River. While it grows finely in
the deep, rich, limy, tenacious lands OF
Ellis, and in all kinds of lands in Erath,
| must say that the finest masses,
the finest plats, the finest specimens
have ever seen were in the sage brush
lands at and near the foot Of the staked
plains, about the headwaters of the
Texas rivers. There as here it grows
on all kinds of soil and everywhere, ex-
cept where persistent grazing OF the
buffalo and the trampfing of domestic
cattle have killed it out. Whenever it
can find brush or brambles to partially
protect it, it holds its ground, and in
swags and swales where the soil keeps
too damp to work up into fine dust it
keeps perfect turf. The sage brush,
which is fond of coarse shifting sand,
forms one of the best screens for it, and
therefore it seems to really Guido itself
in those places; it is therefore not
matter of wonder that cattle keep fat
all winter amongst the sage
If were dealing in seeds and sets OF
this grass that is the region should
go to for my supplies. With proper at
tention and skillful help, a seed or
supply company could keep in stock
enough to supply all the demands for
the next ten years. But it must not be
supposed that bushel bag full of the
seeds will weigh thirty-fve, forty or
fifty pounds; it is too much like cotton
long open in the fields; it seems that
the more you pick the less it weighs,
so you had better weigh your sacks be-
fore you start out, then when filled
weigh again to see how much loss OF
weight there may be.
should also cut the sets to about
three-inch lengths and sell them by the
pound instead of by the thousand.
could gather and trim more in a day in
the Panhandle country than ten smart
girls could count in the same time
Propagation by sets would be tedious
at best, but it can be done, and salts
factorily done. Propagation by seeds
would be much moro speedy, but ! an
not so sure about its being satisfactory
They are sc infinitely small and light
that it is difficult to get the soil fine
enough and to keep it lust the right
moisture to get a catch-a full perfec
catch. But while it is hardy and grow
we'll, it must not be expected to ge
such great quantities of forage from it
for being mainly of winter growth
it, is not reasonable that i
should be over-abundant in quantity
Winter temperature does not favor TIN
development and assimilation of plan
food in quantities to make large return
in forage. Therefore, If / were settin;
pasture with it | should also plant
summer grass-Bermuda, for instance
and would prefer the fall season, tina
the blue grass might get little tn
start; then early in the spring whe
the blue grass wants to run up to seed
| would remove all animals till the see,
were ripe, by which time the Bermud
would have good start. First of Apr
to the middle of May is it's time to ru
up and mature seed along the thirty
third parallel. AS we have so littl
soil in this country TALL North
west Texas) that is deficient i
mineral fertility, | am not full
able to say that our blue gras
might do on the thin lands of Georgia
but | believe that it would do vel
Near my yard | can show fine mat {
it growing among live oak bushes an
native weeds upon coarse, porou
sand, on the brink of road cut ten
fifteen feet deep, which affords ever
possible opportunity for the very dries
condition; and yet | know that
flourishes where the land has tn
greatest amount of moisture consister
. with garden culture.
Now combine this Bermuda upon tn
: thin sandy lands of Georgia and az
q joining States, and especially upon til
hill lands that are liable to wasl
whether sandy or clayey, and upo
!. these put sheep, cattle, horses an
!. mules; buy nothing except brce'
n ing stock, keep and raise as niue
, as the pasturage will allow. Cultivat
n only so much as can be well fertilize,
q making the pasture pay tribute to I'll
!. cultivated land through the manu-
r heap; waste no fertilizers on lands tn;
v will wash, spend little or nothing in to
r racing, and it occurs to me that you wi
4 have the most economical, the mo
\ natural and the most profitable methC
Z of agriculture that can be devised f
y all that region of the South. Let IL
o intensive system apply to the cultivate
:. fields and the extensive system to IL
!, pastoral part, and thereby combine al
q harmonize the extremes. j, b. ST
/. phens, in Southern Cultivator.
). THE SOuTH FOR HOGS