The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-10-01
GRASS CULTURE
DISCUSSED BEFOR THE AGRICUL-
TURAL SOCIETY MEETING
Held in Richmond County last Week-Mr.
George Tillman's Opinions OF the Dif-
ferent yarieties-Mr. White Talks.

Augusta, Ca, September 2S.-(Special)-
The meeting of the Richmond County
Agricultural society last week at the
clubhouse, seven miles from the CITY, was
a grand success. The occasion was tue
visit OF Professor II. c. White, or Athehs'
Hon. George D. Tillman. of South Carolina,
and Major Harry Hammond, OF Beech
island who conducted a Farmers lhsu-
tute. Congressman Tillman addressed the
meeting first, and he spoke about grass and
grass culture.
"All fiesh,' he said, was grass; all grain
was grass. In Holland there is a maxim.
No grass, no stock; no stock, no manure
no manure, no crop
Napoleon ILL.," said Mr. Tiliman, did
more good for the world when ne eStap-
lished experimental farms and put George
veal at the head of them than he had IN
all other things put together. Veal 5 BOOK
was by far the best practical book Tor the
young farmer. What was needed most
was facts and not theories"
When he was Il boy, he said, it hurt
him a great deal to stock suffering
from want of feed in winter, and so much
attention paid to the cotton. Several years
ago he began his experiments IN grass cul-
ture, and seeing "a grass catalogue OF
French firm, he got Mr.. Jules Rival to order
for him several varieties of seed. He pro-
cured a great many other varieties, goinS
SO far as to get the sort of which the
! soup was made that caused the Jacob and
Esau contract. lie spent several hundreds
! of dollars for seeds Of the many varieties
/ he tried there were three that HourlSHed
1 well in Edgened county.
The FIRST Of these was Burnett. Why
Burnet had not been introduced in America
/ from the Rio Grande to the Potomac was
| a great mystery to him-one OF the
/ greatest mysteries in agriculture. Burhet
! could be called a poor land clover II IS
! cultivated largely in England and Prussia,
/ and all over the wild lands of Europe. 1t
! mas aided in originating the best strain Of
sheep in Europe. There is not an acre OIL
! sandy land on the Atlantic coast that
| planted by Burnet. would not Keep one
/ sheep fat from lambhood TO muttonhood.
/ 1t grows al the year. 1t loves poor land,
and will die on rich land if MANFRED. In
! winter it willis, but warm weather re-
! sumcs it. 1t is very rich i'm plant food. 1t
| has been analysed. and according to theory
] il better than red clover. Why it is not
cultivated oA the pine barrens on the At
lantic slope it, he repeated, is a sreat mys-
terry He had never heard Of 1t untll or
! dcrcd through Mr.. Rival.
] He planted in experiment siXty-eight va
ricties OF grass and had more than thirty
acres devoted TO experiments. During a
freeze one winter all varieties were killed
! except BuTuet and one other. lie was IN
congress at the time but when he came
| home he found the BTnet foot high.
Two or three years after briars had overrun
if he found il stiu held its own. lie sowed
it on a good deal of land and even on clay
| land. Sandy land is its hdbit3ry. 1t pro
Iuccs abundance OF seed.
In MICHIGAN they have barren lands and
/ two or three stations are eSIApl1Siieu -
reclaim them. Or. Beal, who wrote the
best book on forage. is manaFer. They
! have been searching the world Tor grass TO
| ,ai,,, tto lan5s
| fecltIIh me '"'i''' -. ,,,,l1 N,
Having discovered what Burhet Wouiu az,
| he sent Professor Beal some seed. me
| Nrirt,iean repOrts say it produces album
| 49, f0roa, us success makes me ear
| ,,Gst 10 itap~aee il on the people. j. w.
| CoIurn & Co of New York, are the only
| people who have it. it is good plant for
5 lH,-'''7
| Mr. TnIman said Schrader's grass was
! another plant that will grow on the most
sandy land in Richmond county Horses
! and cows love il. 1t Will grow any
/ yvbare
/ Buruet is very rich in nitrogen.
/ In spcaking Of sandy land he said there
| were grasses in Florida that win crow
| anywhere. Poor toes was one OF them.
! IT. is Il great nuisance to cotton planters
| but Yields excelenuy
! In speaking of grasses best adapted to
! low lands or to stiT, moist, fertile lands,
/ Schrader's graFs was by far the best va
/ rietv according to his experiments.
! italian grass was very good but the
! speaker preferred Schrader's.
! In California Iucerne is planted far more
] than anywhere else Nj. Tillman said he
| had bought it east of the Rockies and it
| had been distributed a great deal over this
| section The Lucerne OF the Pacific coast
| was Identical with the variety raised in
| wilkes county and named Coley grass.
| Ruruet made the prettiest crop he knew
/ of exreDt hairy vctch This last named
/ variety had been imported from Russia by
/ the government and he had procured il in
! mat way. 1t is almost as healthy. ne said.
! as a flint rock. and he never had seen a
/ siYgin rotten seed In appearance it re-
! snn5bles other varieties of vctch but il is
/ FAR more robust 1t win grow an the year
| and is no more affected by cold weather
han a bar of iron would be, II viii afford
/ ~" - - ~ tor than tbe,- IN IN ra1