Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1900-03-14

About twenty pounds of seed should be
sown per acre. If the stand is not salts
factory the first year do not plow it up,
for it will probably be all right the next
season. As above stated bronze grass
does not make a crop the first season but
grows only four to eight inches high,
occasionally sending up few seed heads.
After the grass is well rooted it will
furnish good deal of excellent pastur-
age in the fall after sowing in the spring,
If not pastured too closely the first fall,
and if the stand is at all a good one, the
grass will yield in hay, seed or pasture
the second year more than any other year
i'll its life. In fact, this is true of all per
ennial grasses on the wheat lands of
Eastern Washington SO far as they have
been tested. After crop of hay or seed
has been taken, there is considerable fall
growth which may be utilized as pasture
BY the third year the grass will have be-
will be considerably thicker than the
year before, but will still yield fairly if
cut for hay or seed. After that il does
not yield a great deal of hay, but is au
excellent pasture grass for many years.
perhaps almost indefinitely. On the
Experiment Station farm at Pullman
field Of this grass five years old supported
during the past season more than one
head of stock pei acre during the months
of May, June, July and August. By far
the larger part of the pasture was oh
tanned in May and June. In order to Sc
cure best results from bronze grass pas
ture it will be necessary to pasture it
rather heavily during the early part of
the season and to provide other green
feed for most of the stock during the lat
ter part of the summer. Green corn is
best adapted for this purpose on the
wheat lands of Eastern Washington.
Rape is also good, but it is liable to at
tack from the green aphis i'll the middle
of summer.
Regarding the feeding qualities of
bronze grass it may be safely stated that
it is in all respects the equal of timothy
and probably its superior. 1t is certain
that close cropping does not injure the
grass as it does timothy. Horses turned
into a field where they have the choice
of several kinds OF green feed have been
known to remain all day OH strip of
h,n at Sh
also eat it readily. The hay is quite SIM
liar to timothy in its general appearance,
but is eaten by cattle even more readily,
while horses seem to like it equally as
we'll as timothy. We believe further ex-
pertinent will show that the second year
of its growth on good wheat land will,
abundant moisture it will yield over two
tons OF hay per acre. After that it will
probably yield from a ton TO a ton and a
half per acre for a few years, growing less
and less as the sod gets thicker. A mum.
that, when once established, this gras:
will be difficult to eradicate. We hay,
not found this to be the case. If the sod
is turned up in early summer and allowe,
to dry thoroughly the grass seems TO b.
completely killed. We do not thinl
there is anything to fear on this score.
The seed of bronze grass is now selling
: at from IS to 20 cents per pound. w
regard this as very high price, but a
prices are usually governed by suppl,
and demand the present price under TIL
conditions seems to be fully justified. A
acre of bronze grass on good land shoul
yield the second season at least so
pounds of good, clean seed. We woul
therefore advise those who desire TO ST
land to this grass to SOW an acre or so an
raise their own seed. In doing this on
should be careful not to cut the grass III
til the seed is fully mature. If it is CT
too early the seed will be so light that
cannot be separated from the chaf, but
. allowed to ripen thoroughly the see
: will be large and plump aud can |
i threshed with an ordinary threshing mi
> chine by shutting off all the wind "
u have found the straw after threshing Oh
- the seed to be rellshed by both cattle al
: horses. We confidently expect to ST
. bronze grass seed so plentiful on the ma
y kets i'll few years that it will sell {
= four or FIVE cents pound.
" On account of the great demand for Il
" seed of bronze grass good deal Of adr
b teration has been practiced, and the see
is apt to contain seed of other grasse
" We suggest that seedsnen on the Goa
, look carefully into this matter in buyir
" their stock of seed.
e While we believe that many farme
. will be disappointed in their experien
with bronze grass because they expect c
AZ tirelv too much from it, yet ii will be
~ prominent factor in making a livestot
u and dairy region OF the great wheat hel
u of the semi-ard district. We hope tho
III of our readers who have had experien
~ with bronze grass will be so kind as
give others the benefit Of their expe
III euce through our columns.-Ranch al
& Range.
he If Won see it in the TELLER it's 50.