The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-08-09
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A PRACTICAL TALK ON GRASSES

Best Varieties for Pastures, Meadows,
Sandy Kills and Low Landa.
Professor Fletcher, In talk ON grasses
before the Daiiymen's association, Of On
tario, made many statements Of general
interest to farmers outside of Canada.
Speaking of results gained in expert
ments conducted ut Ontario, no called
attention to the fact that hard fescue
grass will produce thrice the amount of
fodder and of the same quality as viii
Sleeps fescue, which latter is valuable
only in that 1t will grow on rocky pas
lures or on sandy hills where nothing
else will thrive. When one is deter
mined 10 grow one Of the Eve ieaved
fescue grasses the hard feseue Is advised,
though for most places the professor
thinks there are better grasses than this.
He also said:
Redtop win yield an excellent quail
ity OF prime sweet hay, and It will grow
everywhere. Timothy is generally grown
in low lands and rich clay loans. If
you mix redtop with timothy you will
get more than il timothy is sown alone.
Meadow fescue gives largo amount of
good hay and produces largo amount
VA lteNSSoAS N3aAy LA thC tpilttB aAo A~ttO III
autumn.
= The bluepotnt Is one Of the best grass
es to grow In low lands. A grass OF spe-
cial value is the canary reed grass, which
grows in low land and oven In water and
produces a large amount of good fodder.
June grass is valuable as feed for milk
cattle, etc., though 1t grows best in
rather moist soil and withstands drought
: we'll. 1t will grow on rocky pastures
and is perhaps best suited with sleeps
fescue to pick up such pastures as have
: run out.
i The special value of timothy is that il
produces finer heavy hay of regular
height in large quantity and at the right
season, 1t cures easily, presses well and
will stand knocking about. But then il
you leave 1t too long after the hay is
+ ready to cut, you will not only lose 9
large part of the value of the hay, but
the seeds will drop out and you will have
only the straw. Another special value
of timothy is that 1t is well known, ani
, timothy hay will be bought on the mar
ket in preference to crop that is not s,
5 well known. Another advantage is tina
q the seed is easily fortified. The seed o
= timothy is easily threshed and easil,
Y handled.
But while timothy has all these ad
vantages, it has defects. There is yer,
little pasture value in it. You cut you
crop of timothy and there is very littl
a for the rest of the year. In growing
"a timothy with clover it is difficult, ex
cept on special land, to find variety O
clover that will mature at the same tim
as the timsthy. The clover is apt to b
. ready week or so before the timothy
i, If you cpt it then you find that the bulb
IS at the base of the root ore not mature
and have not laid up sufficient materia
Y to serve as food for the plant afterwart
~ and, besides, the timothy has not tn
same value as 1t will have if you wal
'lSI But if you wait you lose the value {
2. your clover. Another defect is that thes
~ bulbs, which are q most important par
of the plant, ere particularly open to til
attacks of mice and insects. The mic
collect these bulbs and carry them I
their nests. If you turn sheep into til
!, fields they bite too close, and thus tn
IT bulbs are injured and the plants ruined
More than that, these little bulbs ar
2 easily injured by the tramping of cattl,
Is and it is dangerous thing to turn you
cattle into a timothy field if you wish I
grow hay crop next year.