The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-11-11
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 tho
Stockman fails to locate him,
consequently can only answer in
gcneralitics. He states he ''would like
to SOW on wheat ground There is
nothing to hinder. All that is ncccs-
sary is to prepare the ground for
tho reception OF the seed.
We will horc answer ono of the
queries Of Subscriber, Augusta coun-
~. Virginia, who has ten acres OF
good limestone land and ten acres Of
branch meadow, close black clay
which he finds it difficult to get in
grass. The principal difficulty the
grass grower has to contend with is
in obtaining "a "stand" or n ''catch."
The essentials to success in grass
growing arc (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 tho
young plants, which, while young,
are often as minute as arc tho seed;
especially is this the case with blue
grass. 1t likewise is pivot on which
hangs success or failure. GU Time
to SOW: This is Of tho highest i'm.
portancc. 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 arc fine as the
finest Of cambria needles. So fine
are they that if covered but one inch
deep (Which could not possibly be
y
they could not find thoir way up.
The seed would be an entire loss;
hence tho necessity foo careful SOW
ing. When the soil water below
rises Thy capillary attraction) sufli-
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 n stand
as possible, to mark our ground OIL
lightly in lands, then mark it again
crosswisc 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
scribcr's queries: When to SOW? In
tho South, September to March in
the North, September to 1st OF May,
preference being given to fall sowing
How much seed per acre? Two to
three bushels Gf alonc.) Weight Of
seed per bushel, fourteen pounds.
Should other grass seed DO sown on
the field 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
tho causes of failure in getting u
stand. AS to varieties suited to his
ten acres of branch meadow that is
inclined to be wet, redtop Johnson
grass, Bermuda, fall fescuo, 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 whom we
say that johnson grass and redtop
(cut when they first come into bloom)
to be desired in the hay line. but If
left to ripcn their seed become hard
and woody; tho yield is i'm
mensc 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 he 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 ellie fallow," nor to let II
grow up in weeds ana bushes or
briars. Land don't need rest; IL
needs to DO kept continually occu-
pied by some crop, even If that crop
is peas or clover to be turned under.
National Stockman.