Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-11-10
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
BLUE GRASS ON MEADOWS IN
THE NORTH AND SOUTH.
Good Seed and smooth Ground Essential
Food to Her Liking-Building Barns
--Fiaii-Threshed Grain-Pork Pointers
and Household Helps.
Blue Grass.


Old subscriber asks of the National
Stockman when to SOW Kentucky
blue grass seed. how much seed per
acre, and whether grass seed should
be mixed with them and sown at the
same time. AS old subscriber failed
to give his county and state the
Stockman fails to locate him,
consequently can only answer in
generalities. He states he would like
to sow on wheat ground" There is
nothing to hinder. All that is neces-
sary is to prepare the ground for
the reception of the seed.
We will here answer one of the
queries of Subscriber, Augusta coun-
ty, Virginia, who has ten acres of
good limestone land and ten acres of
branch meadow, clo-e black clay
which he finds it difficulty to get in
grass. The principal difficulty the
grass grower has to contend with is
in obtaining a "stand" or a catch"
The essentials to success in grass
growing are (D good and pure seed,
(2) the ground made perfectly
smooth by narrowing and cross har-
rowing, and where possible and prac-
ticable rolling. This proper and alb
solutely essential preparation fur
nishes a perfect seed bed for the
young plants, which, while young,
are often as minute as are the seed;
especially is this the case with blue
grass 1t likewise is pivot on which
hangs success or failure. (2) Time
to sow: This is of the highest i'm
poptance. All grass seed should be
sown when there is sufficient mois-
ture to cause speedy termination of
the seed, and to keep the
young plants alive after they
are up. All minute grass seed should
be sown on the surface. trusting to
the rains to cover them deep enough.
If narrowed or bruised in many of
the seeds will be so deep they cannot
come up. Half an inch is deep
enough for any of the finer grass
seeds. as the spears are fine as the
finest of cambria needles. So fine
are they that if covered but one inch
deep (Which could not possibly be
avoided where they are narrowed i'm,
they could not find their way up.
The seed would be an entire loss;
hence the necessity foo careful SOW
ing. When the soil water below
rises (by capillary attraction) sufii-
GENTLY to meet the rains which have
fallen from above, then and
not till then is it absolutely
safe TO SOW grass seed. We
prefer, in order to get as even stand
as possible, to mark our ground OF
lightly in lands, then mark it again
crosswise in lands This forms
checks; we then take half our seed
and SOW one way of the lands over
the entire ground; then take the
other half of the seed and cross-sow,
also over the entire ground. This
plan prevents ''skips" and tends to
insure an even. perfect stand.
Now for the answers to Old Sub
scriber's queries: When to SOW? In
the south, september to March; in
the North, Septem er to 1st of May,
preference being given to fall sowing.
How much seed per acre? Two to
three bushels if alone.) Weight of
seed per bushel. fourteen pounds.
Should other grass seed be sowu on
the held also We prefer a mixture
east, west. north or south, first, last
and all the time.
To our Virginia friend we would
say that we have explained some of
the causes of failure in getting a
stand. AS TO varieties suited to his
ten acres of anch meadow that is
inclined to be wet, redtop Johnson
grass, Bermuda, fall fescue, Reed
Canary, Fowl meadow, rough stalked
meadow grass and white clover
would all suit his land and climate.
The larger the mixture the better.
We speak from experience when we
say that johnson grass and redtop
(cut when they first come into bloom)
are both first-class and leave nothing
to be desired in the hay line but if
left to ripen their seed become hard
and woody; the yield is i'm
mense and stock very fond of
them. For his limestone land,
kentucky blue grass, orchard,
Italian rye, perennial rye. redtop,
meadow fescue, sweet and scented
vernal grasses with clover both red
and white would suit his purpose.
Why not put it in clover? The plant
ing of the various leguminous crops
cannot fail to be profitable. often
times more so than grass. 1t
pays to keep something growing on
the land all the time. 1t don't pay
to let land 'Iie fallow," to let it
grow up in weeds and bushes or
briars Land don't need rest; it
needs TO be Ike IT continually occu-
pied by some crop, even If that crop
is peas or clover to be turned under.
National Stockman.
Food to Her Liking.