River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-05-14
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, NOTES.
BY PROF. W. A. HEsRY, Madison.
Concerning Kentlekg Blue Grass.


under the name of "Blue Grass:''
When visiting Ashland, the Henry
Clay homestead, near Lexington, to
study its live stock, l gave the closest
attention 10 the sod grass of the pas
lures: getting down on lay knees /
examined the turf TO com pare il with
that which so freely covers Wisconsin
pastures and road sides, and was not
able to discover any superiority for the
Kentucky product, either in density of
growth or in any other way. What we
call "June grass" in Wisconsin is
Identical, botanically, with Kentucky
blue grass, and since it grows Just as
freely here, why should we not give it
the more aristocratic name? Would
not every acre of Wisconsin's pasture
lands be worth more in the minds of
her farmers, at least, and would they
not take more pride in them if the
carpet which covers them so green to-
day were called Kentucky blue grass
instead of plain June grass?" Ken
lucky blue grass grows everywhere in
our state with freedom and tenacity
which is simply surprising. 1t is the
only grass of this region which forms
sod SO dense that il can be cut and
rolled up like carpet. Even the Sc
ttIC WHICH, cOilC
us cannot utterly destroy it, for al
though it may be brown and look en-
tirely dead, the first good rainfall
works radical change and it greens
almost in a night time, and springs
forward to please the eye and nourish
the cattle with rapidity and yigor
which is simply marvellous.
/ wish particularly at this time to
call the attention of our farmers to
the peculiar habits and growth of
Kentucky blue grass, and draw most
important lesson therefrom. All
through Nay and into June this grass
grows rapidly and usually supplies
more feed than the farmer has cattle
to consume. So luYuriant is the
growth that often as the farmer walks
over his pastures during the last half
of May he is apt to wish for more live
stock to consume the oyer-abundant
forage everywhere so evident. A few
weeks later, however, when he makes
the same round, land what farmer
does not enjoy these frequent tours of
inspection over his domain), he notes
that the grass has almost ceased grow
ing, SO that by midsummer the excess
of the earlier date las been cropped
off and the ground shows bare and
even brown. Our blue grass plants
are not dead nor even dying, but they
have exhausted their energies and
have entered necessary period of
rest. which lasts all through the lat
ter part of July, August and even into
September. During this period comes
lard times with the cattle, for now
not only are the fields quite bare of
provender, but the sun is almost Bis
fnp hnf anH fhn hlOnd- S1Ielyincy i'm
sects most annoying. The sheep seek
the shade, holding their noses close to
the earth, and frequently stamping to
drive away the flies, the fattening cat
tie and young things show no increase
in weight, and dairy COWS scantily fed
and much fretted shrink greatly in
their milk flow. Our farmer, who
only a few weeks before was wishing
for more cattle to consume the extra
growth Of grass, now wishes he had
larger areas of pasture and regretfully
realizes that he is losing money every
day because his stock ire not properly
fed. Along in September with the
cooler weather and increased rainfall
the blue glass fields show their rich
green again, the food becomes more
abundant and normal conditions once
more prevail.
Proride Forage % Nuke Up for the Def
cheney IN the Pastures.
While every farmer has each year
observed just what is above described,
too few of them provide for the de-
ficiency as they should. We have all
come to think that after we have fed
our stock for six months in winter
they should at least shift for them
selves The other half of the year;
is it profitable to let farm stock 90
hungry at any time, and why should
cattle suffer for food in summer any
more than in winter? l urge upon
every farmer reader of these notes to
at once make ample provision against
the shortage above described by sup
plying some kind of forage easily
raised
Fall sown rye is the first plant which
provides green food for spring use,
and is already large enough for cut
ting at this time. Next to rye comes
the oat plant, which if cut just before
heading or shortly after gives valuable
forage. BY June red clover is large
enough to cut for soiling cattle, and
furnishes excellent food. These plants
usually come, howese n, before the blue
grass pastures have given out and so
dIC HOJ PAL hNCotu W III
ers who have the usual area OF pasture
land. A great plant for helping over
midsummer shortage is Indian corn,
and / wish particularly to call atten-
ton at this time to its great merits.
Every farmer who wishes to get the
most from his stock, should plant one
acre of early Minnesota sweet corn or
some other early variety for each ten
cows or their equal of stock on his
farm. This corn will be ready for
feeding early in August. Another
acre of Stowelfs evergreen sweet corn
or some good variety of field corn
should be planted for every ten head
of stock to be fed after that first
planted has been used up. Plant this
corn in some field convenient to the
stable or to the pasture where it may
be spread out on the sod for feeding.
A load should be drawn each day, and
as much given to the cattle as they
will consume without waste.
If some stranger should come to
Wisconsin and offer our farmers
means of paying all their state taxes
without trouble to them, he would be
considered great benefactor; let
them know that if they will only pro-
vide forage corn in the way described
ABOVE 1OT JiclI SbOth, LbCl VIII save
more than their taxes in preventing
a great shrinkage in milk flow and in
failure to gain flesh, which comes to
all our stock in midsummer. The
aggregate loss to WiSconsin's cream
cries and cheese factories through this
midsummer shrinkage amounts to
one or two million dollars each year, a
large part of which may be saved by
little foresight and proper prepare
ton. 1t is now time to plant corn in
the southern part of the state for the
purpose above described. Let us not
expect the blue grass of our pastures
to furnish constant and proper sup
ply of forage for our cattle during the
whole summer season, but prepare to
make up the shortage which will sure
ly come by having on hand goodly
supply of green fodder corn. The
farmer who cannot secure the seed of
sweet corn need not be discouraged,
but will he greatly pleased with any
variety of early growing field corn. 1t
is not so much a matter of variety Is
that of having liberal supply OF some
kind of feed when needed.
Says the Chicago Inter Ocean:
When the wage earneIs of the United
States are fully employed. and at the
high wages that were the rule during
the protective era, they consume
more wheat. meat and farm products
of all kinds than do the people of any
ofrar ef.unfrv counting man AGAINST