The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1899-09-29
A Plea for Wild Grass.
In an address recently delivered be-
fore the Nebraska Improved Live Stock
Association. DIR. C.. Il, Ressey said.

In an address recently delivered be-
fore the Nebraska Improved Live Stock
Association, DR.. c. Il, Bessey said:
The question is frequently asked,
what is prairie grass?" Now, nature
gave us n very broad hint here. sac
made pasture here that endured all
the drouth, all the hot winds, all the
tramping, sometimes Of millions, OF
buffaloes across the grounds, II en-
dured everything, and still was rich
wild pasture. She put in two or three
kinds of grama, she mixed in Buhaio
grass, she scattered in another grass
which, for want of a better name, we
have called Wild June grass. 1t looks
n little like the Kentucky blue grass
and ripens very early in the season,
and therefore the name is quite applo-
pirate. And then, mixed with all these,
scattered here and there, is this Dig
grass of one or two or three spikes,
the Blue stem. Now, that is the way
nature made her pasture. she didn
put in one kind Of seed and expect
Il
this method of making pasture, When
one grass has gone by its season OIL
best growth, another one is coming up
so that you have a succession, and the
wild prairie pastures have been, as
everybody knows already, pastures
that can be relied upon. They do not
burn out, they stay all summer long,
because they have had time to prac-
tice on this sort Of thing for countless
ages.
When the farmer first came here and
did not see any timothy and orchard
grass, he ripped UP this good pasture
and has been, ever since, trying to get
in timothy and other grasses. Now
can these be introduced? l only Wish
that when we crossed the Missouri riv-
er we had said: eve will depend on
what is already here" And then by
this time we should have improved
good many of these wild grasses. But
we did not choose to do that, ana SO
the question is, Can we get these other
grasses? Yes, we can get them, but IL
is hard work. Some Of the finest tim
othy fields | ever saw / have seen IN
Nebraska. We still depend on the blue
grass when we want good lawn.
want to see some one brave enough 10
make a wild grass lawn. wish some
one would start a grama patch on the
lawn. 1t would not have the bright
green of the blue grass, but 1t would
have that delicate shade which is Pc
culiar to the grama. Orchard grass
has been introduced little; but appar-
emily we are little too far west, eX-
cept in some very favored spots. we
have a good many wild bronze grasses
in the state, and that is probably the
reason why bronze grass seems to be
SO promising Perhaps nature gave
us a hint here again. Johnson grass
Yes, in some parts of the country.
Hungarian and miilet? They are an
nual grasses, and that means LABOR
and vexation of spirit, for, in the early
part of the season when you may nave
only q week to put in all your crops
any addition to the work is to be de-
plored. !,
Finally, let me just repeat what
anticipated a few moments ago III
speaking of these wild pastures; let us
do what we can in preserving such OF
the wild grasses as we can. And let
us see what can be done, where the
wild seed has disappeared, to BRING
about a restoration of it.