Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-05-14
Notes from our Agricultural College.

By prof ", n, Henry, Madison, Wis
CONCEKNING KENTUCKY Blue GRASS.
DO Wisconsin farmers know and
realize that what they commonly call
June grass" is the same plant that
in kentucky's boosted pastures goes
under the name Of "blue grass"f
When visiting Ashland, the Henry
Cray homestead. near Lexington, to
study It's live stock, gave the closest
attention to the sod grass Of the pas
lures; getting down on my knees
examined the turf to compare it with
that which 80 freely covers Wisconsin
pastures and rUadsides, 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 bOtannically. with Kentucky
blue grass, and since it grows just M
freely, why should we not give II the
more ariBtocratic name? Would not
every acre Of WiscOnsin'B 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
today were called Kentucky blue grass
instet d Of plain "June grass y Ken
lucky blue grass grows everywhere In
our state with Il freedom and tenacity
which is simply surprising II is the
only grass Of this region which forms
Il sod 30 dense that II can be cut and !
and rolled up like a carpet Even the
severe droughts which sometimes
alliCL us cannot utterly destroy it, for !
though IT may be brown and look |
entirely dead, the first good rainfall
works II magical change and IT greens
almost In a night time, and springs
forward to please the eye and nourish
the cattle with a npidity and yigor
which Is simply marvellous.
wish particularly NJ this time to
call the attention of our farmers to
the peculiar habits Of growth of Ken
lucky blue grass, and draw Il most
important lesson thereirom. All
through May and into June tins grass
grows rapidly and usually supplies
more feed than the farmer has cattle
to consume SO luxuriant IL the
growth that often M the farmer walks
over his pastures during the last half
Of May he Is APP, to wish for more live
stock to consume the over-uhundant
forage everywhere SO evident, A few
weeks later however, when he makes
the same round, tund what farmer
does no. 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 has been CropprI
OH and the ground shows bare ,und
even brown, Cur blue grass plants
ara not dead nor even dying, but they
have exhausted their energies and
have entered Il necessary period of
rest, which lasts all through the latter
part of July, August and even into
september, During this period comes
hard times with the cattle, for now
not only are tho fields quite bare Of
provcndtr, but the sun is almost bills
torinp hot and the blood sucking in.
sects most annoying, The sheep seek
the shnda, holding their noses CLOSE to
the earth, and frequently stamping to
drive away the flies, the fattcning cat
tie and the young things show no in
crease in weight, and the dairy COWS
scantily fed and much tretted shrink
gruatly in their milk How. Cur farm,
or, who only II 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 hi is losing
money every day because his stock are
not properly fed. Along in September