The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-03-05

The seed weighs 4S pounds to thu
bushel, and one bushel is enough tt
SOW three acres, when planted alone
When sown with either rcd clover OF
alsyke. 2 to 3 pounds of timothy arC
to 10 pounds of clover seed are about
the right mixture.
There is considerable difference o1
opinion as to the value of red-tor
and Of Herds grass, due undoubtedly
to the mistaken identity of the very
numerous Agrostis forms. 1t is very
hard to obtain seed of any of the
Agrostis species true to name. Red
top is often sold for Herds grass and
vice versa, and both apecies are very
ofton sold under the name of Rhode Is.
land bent. The latter, and the creep.
ing been, Agrostis stolonifera, are ex
cellent pasture grasses. Herds grass
Agrostis alba, requires considerable
moisture in the soil, while some forms
of red-top, Agrostis vulgaris, will
thrive and an excellent turf upon the
driest upland clays. Both of these
give best results when planted with
the clovers or with orchard grass. The
hay is very nutritious, ranking in feed
ing value above that of timothy; but
it does not make as bright hay, and
as looks govern the price in the mar.
kets, it does not usually sell for as
much as timothy, nor does it yield as
heavily under ordinary conditions.
To sum up: The best pasture
grasses are Kentucky blue grass, Ca
madam blue grass (these two especial
ly upon calcareous soils); Herds
grass, Rhode Island bent, creeping
bent, red fescue, and various-leafed
fescue on low, rich, moist lands, either
sand or clay; and tall oat grass, sleeps
fescue and tall fescue on dry hard up
land soils; rough-stalked meadow
grass, wood meadow grass, various.
leafed fecue and red fescue for wood
land pastures; and meadow foxtail on
any rich soil for very early pasturage.
OF the hay grasses for rich moist mea-
dows, | would consider italian rye
grass the very best; then timothy
perennial rye grass, orchard grass,
Herds grass, and red-top.
Besides these, there are a few spe-
cies which have not, perhaps, passed
the experimental stage in this locality.
johnson grass, which is such terri
bic weed in the middle South, and
which furnishes the bulk of the hay
used by the Louisiana sugar planters,
is sometimes recommended in this lat.
itude, because it makes very heavy
growth in midsummer during the hot
test and driest weather on the most
sterile clay soils, and where the win
ters are at all severe, it is not liable to
become bad weed, being very suscep-
tible to frosts.
Rescue grass, Bromns unioloides
which is probably the best winter pas
ture grass of the South, IN annual
makes very rapid and heavy growth
on strong clay soils, and might be Of
some value for hay. 1t makes its heav.
lest growth with us during the hottest
weather. A near relative of this, the
smooth bronze or Hungarian bronze, a
native of central Europe and closely
allied to native American forms which
extend across the northern portion OF
the continent, is also an excellent spe.
cies for furnishing late midsummer hay
1t makes very heavy growth. have
seen fields that would stand five feet
high, and it will, when once established
hold it's own through the hottest and
driest of weather; but it does not stand
pasturing or close cutting the first
year. 1t has much the habit ofgrowtt
Of quack grass, its stout, interlacing
underground stems forming a compact
network in the soil, making it some
what difficult to get rid of sometimes
but on strong land, no matter how dry
it make a very heavy yield, and might
be of some value on that account.
In regard to the clovers, you are all
perfectly aware of the value of fcrimson
clover for the sandy lands in eastern
Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey
and the use and value of red clover is
equally we'll understood; so that doubt
that could add any points of general
interest concerning either of these. On
land adapted tit, that is, on soil which
is well drained, particularly sandy
loans not underlaid by an impervious
subsoil, alfalfa is a crop which should
be given a more extensive trial in this
section of the country. 1t grows best
on sandy, calcareous loans, and de
pends more upon the subsoil and good
drainage than upon the character Of
sthe surface soil. for the enormous tap
roots descend to depths ordinarily OF
\ from lOlo 20 feet. After it has be-
come established it may be cut every
six weeks during the season. Alfalfa
hay is more difficult to cure than red
clover, and should be cut earlier than
red clover, about the time the first
blossoms appear. Much of the preju-
dice against alfalfa in the East is, |
think, due to cutting this crop too
late, when the stems have become