The record-union., 1897-02-23
STATE TURF GARDENS.
Proposition Made to Establish One in
California.
Bill Before Congress Appropriating
the Necessary noney to Take
the Experiment.

pIldULS So,OUU LOT the department Ol
Agriculture to be expended under the
direction Of Professor Johnson of the
Experiment Station of Connecticut and
Professor Hilgard of the California Sta
ton, in the establishment and develop
ment of turf gardens. The following
article from the Hartford (Conn) "Cou-
rant" gives some information about it:
Readers of The Courant" are famil
lar to some extent with James Bradford
Olcott's so-called turf garden at the old
Olcott homestead in South Manchester.
To the study of grasses and their refine
ment Mr.. Olcott has given thirty years
OF his life, and in the whole world to-
day he stands as the foremost expert
In this branch of botanical research.
He labored for years without obtaining
much renoWn or general recognition,
and nothing could show palmer than
that fact that he was a generation
ahead Of his time. He continued his
experiments, however, with never flag
ging zeal. He soon found that there was
but little to be learned from the meager
literature on the subject, and then he
set out to gain his knowledge from
practical experience and scientific eX-
pertinent.
With this end in view he started a
turf garden" in connection with the
Connecticut experiment station, max
ing his beginning in New Haven. Con-
0ltlonS not being favorable there he soon
transferred his garden to the old home
stead in South Manchester and with
the old farm as a laboratory he has con-
quoted his experiments that are just
now gaining world wide celebrity
As matter Of course, Mr.. Orcott's
hrst subjects for experimentation were
the grasses of Connecticut and New
England. Then he branched out. The
grasses herea bouts, he argued, must
naturally be, most Of them, escapes
from Europe, for was not this literally
the forest primeVap' when the fore
fathers began to hew and plough? This
train OF thought led him to desire the
opportunity for foreign travel in order
TO observe the grazing grasses in coun-
tries where the turf had remained un-
disturbed hundreds, perhaps thousands,
of years. The opportunity soon came.
and since that first trip abroad he has
made others, and now there are few
quarters of the globe where he has not
been. From one and all he has brought
countless samples Of grass sod until
his garden has taken on an interna-
tona1 character. He literally has a
congress Of nations and the individual
1ty of his specimens in distinct even to
the unstudied observer To the master
each type is a book in itself Said Mr..
Olcott the other day, pharaphrasing:
SHOW me the grass of nation and I'll
tell you its history"
Here Of ,,a,,;a+tnc
grasses brought together from the cor
ners Of the earth A recent visit when
the ground was free from snow, showed
the garden in its midwinter fertility.
From long way off the sparkling
green of the garden can be seen, like an
emerald lake, and on near approach
the velvety green spreads out like a
checkered carpet. But every plot is not
green, by any means, and green fails
to characterize where there are so many
shades. Here is a square of straw
color which they are racing on in Aus
tralia to-day" being Mr. Oicott's COM
ment. Near by, cropped close, are sew
eral varieties of the Kentucky blue
grass. The Rocky Mountains have their
representative in this parliament, as do
all the European nations, and some Won
locate.
Here is a grass grown under the polar
star and grass washed by the island
tides of the Pacific All points of the
compass have responded to produce
here, in miniature, the surface of the
earth.
But as to the plans of nationalizing
this garden: Advanced agriculturists
nave felt that Mr. Olcott, the pioneer.
should contribute to their art and in
dustry from his experience and store
and the plan has been perfected to
start in other States, under the super
vision OF the experiment stations. sim
liar turf gardens to Mr.. OloOtt's. in or
Ger to advance the propagation Of
pure grazing grasses Mr.. Olcott is in
hearty sympathy with the movement
and will lend his aid to further il. AT
the present time California is manifest
Ing the greatest interest in the matter.
and a bill before Congress carries an
appropriation of $1,000 toward the es-
aaollshment in that State of a grass
garden on the lines OF Mr.. Olcott's. The
representatives, in Congress from the
Pacific Slope are interested in the mat
ter. and 1t is probable that the appro-
priation will be made. 1t is also among
the probabilities that other States may
follow California's example in this re-
spect
Mr.. Olcott said yesterday. in refer
ence to this matter: 1T is now general
ly felt that this science is only in its
infancy. and people are coming to re-
alze that it is as important to clothe
the hillsides with pure grazing grasses
as ii is to fill the barns with pure
blooded stock The widening and deep
eEing interest in the matter. as shown
by the proposed congressional action.
IS promising sign OF better things"
General o. II. LaGrange, formerly of
California, but now one OF the Fire
Commissioners of New York City. has
taken a deep interest in the matter and
has written to California representa-
tlves in Congress urging them to favor
the bill. His letters were acconpa-
Eied by copies Of the following letter
which he had received from Mr.. OIL
cctt:
South Manchester (Conn), Dec. 81,
1896.
My Dear General: I will now set
down, as they occur to me- reasons
why there should be a United States
turf garden in California:
The turf grass Investigations. insti-
auted by Connecticut Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Station, upon interstate as
well as international and local lines.
must lie idle about half the year In a
Connecticut winter climate.
The peculiarly favorable climate of