Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-09-09
o GRASS STEERS.
This Writer Thinks They Should Have
Something Besides Grass.

Something Besides Grass.
The interesting and instructive arti-
cles upon the above subject written and
compiled from various sources by Mr..
Henry c. Wallace have attracted wide
and hearty attention. They have opened
up a field of practical agriculture which,
while it is a simple one, is of a charac-
ter that strikes every stockman, be he
great or small. The grass crop Of the
country is by many times the largest
grown. From it the average stock owner
derives much of his profit. Yet it re-
ceives but little attention and thought
at his hands.
No farm crop repays attention so
quickly as the grass field. From its very
inception it requires a skill and diligence
which is seldom felt and appreciated by
the ordinary farmer. The selection Of
the seeds for ordinary pasture is in itself
somewhat of a science. It requires con-
slant study to find out, more especially
in a new country, what will suit the
climate and soil. "Give us blue grass"
says the Kentuckian. True, but while
it aourishes on the limestone formations
of that state, driving out all other
grasses, still it does not follow that it is
the best for the loamy, deep soils of ILL
nois, Missouri and Iowa. Some of it is
necessary, but you can call upon count
less other kinds and varieties to assist.
The grass seed is delicate. It needs a
warm bed, a fine mold on the soil, and
great care should be taken when sowed.
In its infancy it wants close attention.
1t should not be grazed too heavily, and
always before winter comes it should be
allowed during the first years of its ex-
istence to cover its roots thickly, so as
to Withstand the iron hand of Jack
Frost. Greater perhaps than all the
above requisites is that the field should
be well dried. How often do we see a
field, carefully seeded down, grow a
fairly good crop Of grass for a year or
two, then relapse into the old rut of
coarse, wild grasses. The cause is easy
to find. It wants draining. No plant
requires a dry subsoil so much as the
better varieties Of grass. They luxuriate
where the drainpipe exists.
With such conditions we can nearly
get what Mr.. Wallace says is requisite
to feeding steers successfully on grass
namely, ga full PASTURE" But more is
needed. MI. Wallace has come to the
conclusion that steers will gain nearly
as much on grass alone as when grain is
fed, at least for two or three months dur
ing the summer. The proof of this is so
ample that it cannot be disputed, and at
first thought it would seem foolish to
spend grain where no evident gain is
made. Looking at the matter from a
~stockyards point of view we are all we'll
aware that the purely grass fed steer of
equal weight cannot compete with the
animal that has had corn. How often
when autumn comes do we hear of
GRASSY" steers? The grazier coming up
with his stock probably twice a year
sees his cattle standing next door to a
pen of steers seemingly the same as his
own. The experienced eye of the buyer.
who is daily and hourly at his work, de-
tects at once the difference, and he pays
a much higher price for the lot that
have had corn. The magic word is
"tallow." You can never get it on grass
to perfection. 1t requires the cornbin
or oilcake crusher to make it. We ad-
init that at the height of the grass sea-
son, a short and feeting period under a
scorching sun such as we have, the gain
from artificial food is little or nothing,
but in the after days it tells. If the
cattle are to be carried from summer
into autumn, or even winter, the addi-
ton OF a fair amount of corn or oilcake
is soon seen. By such treatment they
get the polish which reveals to the edu-
Gated eye the inherent value when they
are tested on the block. Then they are
weighed in the scale and not found want
ing.
We go further. Our able correspond
emit must have "a full pasture" To
get that acme of perfection you must be
liberal in the way of feeding the plant.
As you stuff the bullock, so you attain
this point. Nothing manures land so
thoroughly as sheep droppings, more es-
pecially when they are generously
treated. Nextt to them comes the bovine
a c You may use dissolved bones, nj
trates, etc., but they fail to make q pas
ture in comparison with the steady &C.
erection that goes on hourly from sheep
and cattle wandering over it. In this
country we need more permanent pas
lures. With labor high, it is a necessity,
and there is no branch of agricultural
economy which needs closer study. A
good pasture is a thing of beauty and a
joy forever. To attain perfection two
requisites are absolutely necessary
drainage and manure.-Live Stock Re.
port.
Live Stock Points.
A woman relates in The journal OF
Agriculture her experience in beekeep'
ing. Seven years ago she began. She
had occasion frequently at first to prove
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