Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-26
FARM AND FIELD.
Texas Blue Grass-The Coming Great
Blue Grass Regions.
Roasted Cotton Seed for StOck-Johnson Grass
a. Disllkad-The Squash Vine Borer-An
Experiment Station at Pilot
Point, Etc.
Tho Texas Blue Grass.

much attention in the Southern states as
Texas blue grass, known to botanists as
Poa arachuifera. 1t may well be said
that In the lower states east of the Mis-
sissippi river there is a regular Texas
blue grass craze, and doubtless it is a
very good kind of craze to have. As yet
no very extensive plantations have been
made, but the test patches are numerous
and everybody is talking about Texas
blue grass pastures in the near future.
So far the new grass, for them, is show
ing up first rate, generally speaking.
Above the Iong-leaf pine belt immedi-
atelY bordering the gulf coast it is prov
ing itself to be entirely at home, afford
ing superior winter pasturaRe-a long
felt want-but on the sandy lands of the
coast belt it does not give quite such good
results, being little more liable to burn
out in the hottest and dryest weather of
the latter part of summer. Yet, with
even this against It, the coast country
people have strong faith in Texas blue
grass, feeling satisfied from such lights
as are before them that no other winter
grass now known could give them results
as good.
Mr.. J. B. stephens of BIuffdale,
Tex. has in the Southern Cultivator for
June an article which says of Texas blue
grass, that its natural habit IN the Lone
Star state is much broader than has been
generally supposed. A few years back
il was regarded as restricted to limited
locality. of which Ellis county is the oen-
ter. He knows of il growing wild rs far
a a (iplnraln riVar the
Thirty second parallel, as far north as
Red river on the Tooth 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,
he must be permitted TO say that the
finest specimens he ever saw were grow
ing on the sage brush lands at and near
the foot of the Staked Plains, about the
headwaters of the Texas rivers. There,
as on the lower regions, it grows on all
kinds of soils and everywhere, except
where persistent grazing of the buffalo,
and the tramping of domestic cattle have
killed It out. Whenever Il 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
turf. The sage brush, which Is found In
coarse shifting sand, forms one of the
best screens for it, and therefore it seems
TO really out do itself in those places; it
10 therefore not a matter of wonder that
cattle keep fat all winter among the sage.
Mr.. Stephens says If he was a dealer in
seeds ana sets of Texas blue grass lie
would certainly go 10 those upper regions
for his supplies. In his opinion seeds or
sets obtained in those regions would
prove harder than from regions further
south. He thinks that with proper at
tention and skillful help, seed or sup
ply company could keep in stock enough
10 supply all the demands for the next
ten years. But. he adds, you must not
suppose that a bushel bag of seed will
weigh thirty-five, forty or fifty pounds.
1t is like cotton long open in the fields
it seems that the more you gather the
less the bag weighs.
Mr.. Stephens says immense quantities
of blue grass sets might be gathered in
the Panhandle. He does not much ap-
prove of starting blue grass pastures by
means of sets, on account of its tedious
ness, still, should persons prefer that
method, the Panhandle would be the
region in which to easily obtain a supply.
He considers pasture establishment
with seed the easiest and least expensive
method, though he is not sure of results
so satisfactory as by the other plan. The
seed is so infinitely small and light that
it is difficult to get the soil fine enough
and to keep it Just the right moisture to
get full and perfect catch.
Pra araohnifera is certainly grand
grass-the people of Texas are not TAX
ing on very much about it; but that
thing can be explained easily enough
but we have so many secies of other good
grasses that attention is somewhat di-
vided between them. OF course it is not
the greatest forage grass in existence,
for, as Mr.. Stephens says, it is mainly a
winter growth. Winter temperature
does not favor the development and as
sanitation of plant food in quantities 10
make large returns in forage. But
when most other grasses have been
killed and dried out by the frosts of win
ter ii Is on hands in glory of verdure,
and therein lies its inestimable value. OF
course the man establishing a pasture
will, from this hint, recognize the ne
oessity Of having some other kind of grass
for summer. The blue grass would fur
nish fair pasturage through summer, but
it should not be constantly pastured-lt
should have a short season of rest for
seeding. First of April to the middle of
May is its time to run up and mature
seed along the SD parallel.
While the dry weather of early fall
works against Texas blue grass on the
light sandy soils of the coast regions east
of the Mississippi river, drought does not
at all seem to affect it in Texas. Mr..
Stephens says he has full demonstra-
ton of this fact on his place at Bluff
Dale. Near his yard he can show a fine
mat of il growing among liveoak bushes
and native weeds upon a coarse porous
sand, on the brink of a road cut ten to
fifteen feet deep, which affords every
possible opportunity for the very dryest
condition. But, on the other hand, il is
not peculiarly b dry land grass, for it
tlonrishes TO perfection on lands quite
moist; at least on any lands carrying the
greatest amount of moisture that would
be consistent with successful garden
culture.
The Texas blue grass presents much
the same character as is presented by the
celebrated Kentucky blue grass (Poa
pratensis) lit is IN every respect as good
grass. For the lower Southern states it
is the grass of this characteristic Ken
lucky grass not beng well adapted to the |
climate below the latitude OF Tennessee.
~ baUira iron, bnI,,sa Or, |