Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1900-02-08
Manner of Seeding, Harvesting
and Threshlng Austrian
Bronze Grass.
Slow in Getting Started But
is a Good Grower
AfterWard.
Grows Thick and Bushy and
Forms a Dense, Rough
Sod.

THE following ls the second article
on the subject Of bronze grass, written
for The Alert by Prof. Shepperd OF the
North Dakota Experiment Station. Tue
first article was published last week.
bronze grass sown in the spring as
early as the land is III good coalition
has given satisfactory results generaI'y'
A good stand has also been secured by
sowing the seed IS late as the first or
August upon land which has been cultl-
waited during tie early part OF the sea-
son to prevent the growth OF weeds and
the loss OF moisture from the ground.
Upon land which does not drift, SOW 1t
without q narse crop Of any kind. upon
land which Is inclined to DRIFT, seed
about five pecks of oats per acre with IL.
The oats should be cut for hay when 50
used-at the time 1t is in blossom, IN or
der that the land may not be dried out
too badly by it. 1t can. be sown broad
cast by hand aud narrowed IN With
pep. toothed drsg. When sown broad
cast use eighteen to twenty pounds OF
seed per acre. Hon. j. o. Smith OF
Armenia taught me to seed it with drlll'
q method which gives better results ana
with less seed per acre than Is obtalneo
by the broadcast method. The SEED OF
bronze grass is very chatiy and will not
feed through the drill without help.
Mr.. Smiths appliance conelsts OF a
STRIP OF isch board three inches woe,
with spikes driven through it to corre-
spond with each cup or hole IN the seed
,er box. A short handle is placed in the
middle OF the strip upon the upper SIDE
BY filing the grain box halt full or leee
with seed and agitsting it With the ap'
pliance described, it feeds through the
drill ia good form. Take the lid of the
grain box and let q boy sit astride it and
work the agltator. Run tho drill shat'
low-ar inch and half or two inches
deep. My observation for eingle see'
son loads me to believe that fifteen OF
sixte "a pounds OF seed per acre w,h be
sufficient when seeded with Grill, ne
nearly every seed seems to grow when 1t
ls planted in that way.
The stand of grass during the nrs'
season usually looks very poor, 'nso-
much thet some Of our farmers have
plowed up fields OF 1t at the close OF the
first season, believing that it had failed
by reason Of poor seed,' or froa some
other cause. 1t will produce some late
summer and fall pasture during the trs'
sessop. The weeds will spring up or
the LAM during the first summer anc
should be moved off once or twice te
prevent too much shading and to kees
the weeds from ripening seed. It wii!
spread and occupy the ground in sur
prising uay the second spring and usn'
ally produoes good crop OF hay or seed
as the owner may choose. Very fe"
weeds have an opportunity to grow WILL
1t during the second season. 1t the
grass is cut for hay, NOV 1t when 1t II
in blossom. 1t will then make good hay
and produce good aftermath or secono
growth tor pasture. The yield IN follow
ing years will also be better than it viii
when the graes ls allowed to ripen seed
Supt. S. A Bedford of the Manitoba
Experiment farm says: In average sea
sons 1t can be depended upon to pro-
duce profitable crop Of seed for two
seasons. or crop OF hay for two or three
years. depending ou the seasons. ltt
limit for pasturinR purposes has not ye'
been reached here. AT the end OF the
sixth season field On this farm contln
ued to produce profitable amount Of
pasturage." Supt. Bedford has had 6
longer experience with bronze grass in
field way than almost any one else IL
the north west, and for that reason il
we'll qualified to give Information upor
the above points.
II tha grass is cut for seed 1t should
be harvested when the color at the see0
is changing from purple to brown. II
out when the hull, covering the seed, IL
purple the seed is light and does no,
Rermiuate we'll. II left until tbs seed
coverings are brown, the lose from shell
Ing ,s considerable. When cut fol
seed 1t is bound with the ordinary twint
binder and shocked like gram until 1t II
cured. 1t can then be etaoked OF shocA
threshed, as desired.
In threshing it, shut the wind OF
close, or much OF the seed will blow oveI
with the strsw. Some only allow The
heads OF the bundles to be krocked ou'
by the cylinder Of the separator and cast