The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-03-29

brown, the ground should be cleaned and
all rubbish burned, for if delayed the
seed will drop and get scattered, which
will come up and may prove eventually
to be the worst weed the grower will
have to contend with, for il allowed 10
grow after once started il will soon fill
the whole ground with mass OF roots,
and very soon spoil the whole patch. AS
soon as the ground is cleaned the whole
field should be cultivated, and coarse
manure spread over the entire surface,
so that the rains can dissolve and carry
down the soluble plant food to the roots.
As the period OF rest here in our mild
and warm winters is very short, with
this strong and persisting plant no delay
should be INDUCED in furnishing the
necessary food plant.
There are knives made expressly for
cutting the shoots, but we find that the
ordinary long blade butchers knife an
swers the purpose satisfactorily. 1t
should be kept keen and sharp, but the
wieder of that knife should handle it
with thoughtful care, else he will destroy
many unseen shoots. The time that
should elapse between cuttings, varies
in different soils, some being warmer
and consequently quicker than others;
then again, much depends on the
weather; some years will have warm
DAYS in February, which will necessitate
cutting twice each week, and it may be
I followed by cold rains in March, when
the cuttings will be meager once week;
and again in the warm days OF May 1t
may require three cuttings per week to
prevent the heads from bursting, which
spois it for market. When cutting, lay
in convenient piles along the rows.
Gather in baskets, but do not let the cut
grass lie in the sun so as to wilt wash
clean before tying; tie into round
punches. As there seems to be no uni
form or standard size, we uniformly tie
] Ill HAIL IuulNl lJuuNllSG, anu ucN lama AOl
that purpose. 1t is good material for
| the tving OF many articles, and is fast
superceding Cuba bast, both in garden
and nursery The butt ends OF the
| lunches should be cut off square. For
shipping it is usually packed in light
boxes and sold by weight, and ii to be
shipped long distance, all shoots laid
one way and the box marked so the tops
OF the plants can be kept in an upright
position, or else there are liable to be
many crooked shoots when unpacked.
As to variety, We grow mostly Barr
| Mammoth and Conover's Colossal, and
we are also trying Palmetto and Donald
Elmira. Our preference at present is
] Bars Mammoth, on account OF its earli-
ness and fine large, crisp shoots. Other
varieties may prove as valuable after
longer trial.
/ As to returns from the crop-which
to each grower is the most interesting
part-would say that it varies with the
seasons yet for good early grass there i:
always demand, and at figures that few
other crops will equal. 1t is not uncom.
mon for it to bring twenty or twenty-five
cents a pound, while later in the season
We have seen it sell SO low as to barely
pay the expense OF marketing, Yet tax,
it one year with another, We consider i
a very valuable crop, for when we taxi
in consideration its being so well adapted
TO shipping long distances, the outlooi
is surely good.