Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-02-02
BROT1E GRASS.
Value Of Bronze Grass as a Fodder
Stated by Prof. Sheppard.

The value Of Austrian bronze grass as
a fodder is something that interests
stock raisers in the western part Of the
state, Inview of the fact that land is
being taken up and free range limited,
stocknen will soon have to supplement
their supply with forage plants. Prof.
Sheppard Of the Agriculture college says
of the experiments that have been made:
1t is grown under cultivation in the
interior region Of Russia known as
Steppes, a region which is a high, dry
plain country similar to our own, with a
more rigorous climate than we have in
North Dakota. 1t has been grown at
the North Dakota experiment station
for nine years and has endured our eli
mate perfectly during that time. It
stands dry conditions well, making a
good growth in Williams county, Stark
county and upon certain light soils in
the southern part of this state. Under
correspondingly severe conditions in the
Canadian provinces of Manitoba and
Assiniboia it has made a splendid show
ing and is now past the experimental
stage.
Beside a long list of cultivated grasses
at this station, it has proved to be the
earliest to start growth in the spring,
leading all others by several days. It
also shows green earlier in the spring
than any native Of the prairie. In
autumn it shows the same disposition
remaining green co~rrespondingly later
than the native and other domestic
grasses.
It forms a very dense sod, more dense
than any other / have ever seen. 1t is
also a very deep roofing plant. It pro-
duces a good yield of hay upon good
land, from n and a half to two and a
half tons per acre, and1 have seen some
fine crops of it upon sandy and gravelly
soil. The hay is equal to timothy hay in
quality and is little if any harder to cure
when cut.
The time of cutting it affects Unequal
ity similarly, but to a less marked degree
than it does timothy. When timothy
ripens its seeds the blades dry and its
straw becomes harsh and woody, while
bronze grass leaves remain green. Bronze
grass cut high leaves a stubble with
leaves enough to have some value fol-
hay. An
A. pasture upon the station farm at
l. dlSO "ulCA r. COuSiSGS " clEuGO0u dCI6S
of timothy and two acres of bronze grass
has been pastured with cattle regularly
each season for the past three years
The cattle have eaten off the bronze grass
much more closely than they have the
timothy each year. This station has sem
out several hundred pounds of the seec
in pound packages to the different coun
ties of the state for trial. Some of these
trials have been reported upon, and ]
have reports from many persons wht
have obtained seed from other source
In a large percentage of these cases tn
experimenter has said: A pet lamh, I
stray horse or a loose bunch Of pigs hav,
accidentally discovered the plot of gras
and persisted in revisiting it until tn
ground was practically bare. I hav
seen horses in Williams county crop i
off to the ground in the month of Jun
} in preference to prairie grass which wa
in good condition. In all of the abov'
cases it should be remembered that til
bronze grass was offered in limited guam
tity and would be relished as variety
but it certainly proves that it is palatabi
and of good flavor. / have noticed tina
the bronze grass remains green 'durinI
dry weather when timothy dries u,
badly.
The price of seed is high at present
, making the coat of seeding a dollar AM
seventy-fve cents to two and a half dol
lars per acre. It yields a large q%uantit
of seed and requires no extra machiner
to handle it more than the grain binde
and ordinary separator. followed by til
tanning mill. That means, it seems t
me, that as soon as the country i
stocked with seed it will cost no NOR
per acre to put land into bronze gras
than it does now to put it into timothy