Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-08-25
A PRACTICAL TALK ON GRASSES.


Best Varieties for Pastures, Meadows,
Sandy IfIils and Low Lands.
Professor Fletcher, Ia talk ON grasses
before the Dairymcn's association, OF on
tario, made many statements Of general
interest 10 farmers outside Of Canada.
Speaking of results gained In export
mcnts conducted ut Ontario. no called
attention TO the fact that hard fescuo
grass will produce thrice tho amount u
fodder aud Of .he same quality as will
Sleeps foscue, 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 lcayed
fcscuo grasses the hard fescue is advised,
though for most places the professor
thinks there are better grasses than this.
lie also saidi
Rodtop will yield nm excellent quail
ity OF prime sweet hay, and It will grow
everywhere. Timothy Is generally grown
IN low lands and rich clay loans. ~
you mix redtop with timothy you will
get more than II timothy is sown alone.
Meadow fcscuc gives u large amount Of
good hay and produces u large amount
Of pasture carly In the spring and late IA
autumn.
! The blucpoint Is one Of the best grass
90 TO grow in low lands. a grass Of ape-
cial value Is the canary reed grass, which
grows in low land and oven ia water and
produces u large amount Of good fodder.
june grass Is valuable ~ feed for mill,
cattle, ETC.. though II grows best Ia
rather moist soil and withstands drought
well. 1t will grow on rocky pastures
and IL perhaps best suited with Sleeps
foscuc to pick up such pastures US have
run out.
The special value Of timothy Is that IL
produces finer heavy hay Of regular
height In large quantity and ut the right
season, II cures easily, presses well and
will stand knocking about But then II
you leave 1t too long after the hny Is
ready to cut. you will not only lose q
largo part of the value Of tho hay, but
the seeds will drop out and you will have
only the straw. Another special value
OF timothy is that II Il well known, and
timothy hay will DO bought ON the mar
kct in preference TO a crop that Is not SO
well known. Another advantage ~ TINT
the seed is easily fortified. Tho seed OF
timothy Is easily threshed and easily
handled.
But while timothy has all these adj
vnntages, II has defects. There Is very
little pasture value IN 1t. You cut your
crop Of timothy and there is very little
for tho rest Of the year. In growing
timothy with clover 1t is difficult, ox-
cept on special land, to find variety OF
clover that will mature at the same tine
Us the timsthy. The clover is apt to be
ready week or so before the timothy.
II you cut 1t then you find that the bulbs
ut the base OF the root are not maturcd
aud have not hid up sufficient material
10 serve as food for the plant afterward
and, besides, the timothy has not tn,
same valne as IL will have II you wait
But II you wait You lose the value Of
your clover. Another defect is that thes,
bulbs, which are most important par
OF the plant, are particularly open to tn,
attacks Of mice aud insects. The mic
collect these bulbs and carry them Il
their nests. II you turn sheep into tn
fields they bite too close, and thus tn
bulbs arc injured and the plants ruined
More than that, these little bulbs Hr
easily injured by tho trampiug OF cattle
and 1t is u dangerous thing to turn you
cattle into u timothy field II you wish {
grow IL hay crop next year.