The Portland daily press., 1892-08-19
A PRACTICAL TALK ON GRASSES.
Best Varieties for Pastures, Meadows
Sandy Hills and Low Lands.


Sandy Hills and Low Lands.
Professor Fletcher, in talk on grasses
before the Dairymen's association, OF On
tario, made many statements OF general
interest to farmers outside of Canada.
Speaking of results gained In expert
ments conducted at Ontario, he called
attention to the fact that hard fescue
grass will produce thrice the amount OF
fodder and of the same quality as Will
sleeps fescue, which latter is valuable
only in that it will grow on rocky pas
lures or on sandy hills where nothing
else will thrive. When one is deter
mined to grow one Of the five leaved
fescue grasses the hard fescue is advised,
though for most places the professor
thinks there are better grasses than this.
He also said:
Redtop will 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. II
you mix redtop with timothy you will
get more than If timothyis sown alone.
Meadow fescue gives large amount OF
good hay and produces large amount
of pasture early in the spring and late in
autumn.
d The bluepoint 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 even in water and
produces large amount of good fodder.
June grass is valuable as feed for milk
cattle, etc., though it grows best in
rather moist soil and withstands drought
we'll. It will grow on rocky pastures
and is perhaps best suited with sleeps
fescue to pick up such pastures as have
run out.
The special value Of timothy is that ii
produces finer heavy hay Of regular
height in large quantity and at the right
season, it cures easily, presses we'll and
will stand knocking about. But then il
you leave it too long after the hay Is
ready to cut, you will not only lose a
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 it is well known, and
timothy hay will be bought on the mar
ket in preference to a crop that is not SO
well known. Another advantage is that
the seed is easily fertilized. The seed Of
timothy is easily threshed and easily
handled.
But while timothy has all these ad.
vantages, it has defects. There is very
little pasture value in it. You cut you1
crop Of timothy and there is very little
for the rest of the year. In growing
timothy with clover 1t is difficult, ex.
cept on special land, to find variety Of
clover that will mature at the same time
as the timethy. The clover is apt to be
ready week or 80 Def re the timothy
If you cut it then you find that the bulbs
at the base of the root are not matured
and have not laid up sufficient material
to serve as food for the plant afterward
and, besides, the timothy has not the
same value as it will have if you wait
But if you wait you lose the value o.
your clover. Another defect is that these
bulbs, which are a most important par
of the plant, are particularly open TO the
attacks of mice and insects. The mice
collect these bulbs and carry them tc
their nests. IF You turn sheep into the
fields they bite too lose, and thus the
bulbs are injured anG the plants ruined
More than that, these little bulbs are
easily injured by the tramping of cattle
and it is a dangerous thing to turn youl
cattle into timothy field if you wish te
grow hay crop next year.