The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1901-03-07

How the Best grasses are secured.

Station has sent out The following
bulletin, under date Of Feb. 25, 1901:
Many inquiries are received at th,
Ohio Experiment Station for inf0rma
tion respecting the best grasses fol
lawns and permanent pastures and TO
instructions in seeding. The Station
has successfully established severa
lawns by the following method: Assoor
as the ground is dry enough to work II
the spring 1t is plowed and thorough!
pulverized by narrowing and cross
narrowing until in the condition Of {
garden. Unless the soil Is very rich Il
should be made SO, either by the libera
use of manure or Of complete fertili
zer, the latter being preferable because
Of the seeds Of weeds and coarse grass
es usually carried in manure. Fol
lawn purposes the fertilizer shoult
carry 4 toe per cent. nitrogen. 8 to II
per cent. phosphoric acid and 8 to
per cent. potash, and should be uset
at the rate of 600 to 800 pounds pei
acre.
A mixture Of equal weights Of Ken
lucky Blue Grass and Red Top, with q
pound of white clover seed to bushe
of the mixture. is then sown broadcast
at the rate Of two or more bushels pei
acre of the mixed seed, and narrowed
in with a fine toothed harrow. If the
ground should be very dry it may be
rolled as part Of the preparation fol
sowing, but the finishing touch should
always be given with smoothing har.
row, or other fine.toothed harrow, as
this leaves the surface In such condi-
tion as not to be SO liable to be inju-
riously packed by rain as If finished
with the roller. :
The reason for mixing the Kentucky
Blue Grass with Red Top is that the
two grasses mature at different sea-
sons, the Red Top reaching maturity
some weeks later than the Blue Grass,
thus keeping up better succession
through the season, while the Blue
Grass Is better adapted to the dryer
and the Red Top to the moister por-
tions of the land. The clover Is not
only useful in thickening the sod, but
by its ability to gather nitrogen it as
sists the growth Of grasses with which
it is sown.
For permanent pastures no better
grasses have been found by the Ohio
Station than the varieties above rec
commended for lawns. SOwn together
they give succession throughout the
season and adapt themselves to differ
ences in soil, thus giving much better
results than if either be sown alone.
The seed Of these grasses is relatively
expensive, however, and it is more
economical to reduce the quantity of
seed OF these varieties and substitute
a moderate quantity of red clover and
timothy seed. The first year after
seeding the crop may be chiefly clover,
and should be mown for hay. The
second year it will be chiefly timothy,
and after that the timothy will grad.
ually disappear and the pasture grasses
take its place. BY this method Of
seeding not only will the first cost be
reduced, but the clover will serve a
most useful purpose In preparing the
way for the grasses which are to fol-
low. A mixture Of equal weights Of
clover and timothy, sown at the rate
Of bushel to six or eight acres, and
cross sOwn with half a bushel to q
bushel to the acre of mixed Blue Grass
and Red Top, the whole narrowed in
together, will make fair seeding. In
the case Of pastures, as well as of lawns,
the land should be manured or fertil-
lied, II not already rich, and here
manure is the better material, II it can
be obtained.
All old pastures or lawns should have
an occasional dressing Of manure Or
fertilizer. The object lessons in the
scattered cattle droppings on the past
ures demonstrate this point effect lively.
Such treatment will often thicken up
the grass in an old lawn without re-
seeding, but If bare spots have made
their appearance it will sometimes as
sist matters to apply dressing Of air
Stacked lime, at the rate of a bushel to
the square rod, work it into the surface
with a sharp harrow, and after few
weeks re-seed as for new lawn.
Lincoln's famous phrase, "Of the