Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1898-07-22
Renew Old Meadows.

The grass plant is one of the great.
est sources of wealth on the farm, and
one also that has received as yet COM
paratiyely little attention. In the
states best adapted to grazing grass is
most appreciated. AS an adjunct Of
diversified farming 1t must receive q
full share of consideration, II we are to
expect results of permanent nature.
Anyone that has ridden on the train
through any large strip Of country in
the West will be painfully impressed
with the little attention that is given to
this most important crop. If such a
Journey be taken just before time for
moving the grass the object lesson
will be complete. Last summer, in
trip through two western states, the
attention of the writer was drawn to
these facts. The crops of grass as
they existed just at moving time, were
exceedingly uneven. Here would be
field of timothy standing erect and
thick, though the sections visited had
been injured by a deficient rainfall
The next field would be one OF the
same kind of grass, but the grass In
it would be hardly one-half as high as
that in the first field, and, moreover,
very thin on the ground. Even the
stalks of grass were small and wiry,
instead of being large and juicy. There
were few of the first kind of fields and
many of the latter kind. 1t is safe to
say that the grass on these latter fields
would be far less valuable than the
grass on the first field, for the reason
of being less digestible. When this
loss is added to the loss due to lessened
quantity, we can but see that where
the first kind of grass crops might be
raised at a good profit the latter would
be at a positive loss.
The remedies for these conditions
are not far to seek. Land that has re-
ceived proper treatment in the rotation
can generally be relied on to give a
fair crop of grass when the time comes
to put it into grass, even though little
or no manure be applied. The culture
of the soil alone will have accomplish
ed much, and if the roots of clover
crop have been turned under, the sue
ceeding crops of grass for several
years will be far better than If the
ground had been left untouched. We
believe that the idea of permanent
meadows is mistake, unless the said
meadows continue to bear large crops.
We have known meadows that within
our memory had never been turned up,
although every year the grass crop on
said meadows was very light. The
plants were wiry and far apart, each
grass root requiring a considerable ex-
tent of feeding ground. This, too, was
on good soil. 1t is evident that we
cannot proftably grow grass after
grass for long years. There is too
NIT of our ignoring it. If properly
treated most of our meadows might
about double their yields.
The grass crop is one that requires
little labor. 1t has many advantages
that do not obtain with other crops.
There is no danger of winter-killing,
for grass is most hardy perennial.
AS general thing there is no danger
from insects. Occasionally We have
a raid by grasshoppers, but this is too
seldom to make it cause of complaint.
Drouth does not affect the grass crop
as much as many other crops, for the
reason that it gets much of it's growth
in the spring, when we usually get
rain. It's growth is completed before
the midsummer drouth, when in most
sections it has long since been gathered
into the barn. Agricultural science
will yet have great deal to say about
the grass crop.