The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1901-07-25
r=ecu= OR ARCTIC GRASS.
New Crop ror the Southern states Is
Su .cested.
R1ME. ca. June |. l9OI.

III ,gested.
ROME. Ga. June |. 1901.
Hon. .. Il. Stevens. Commissioner OF
Agriculture. Atlanta Ga
DEA2 ciR- In reply to yours of re-
cent date III regard TO what | know
about Rescue grass, will say:
| nave sown tor the past four years
what you refer to as RESCUE grass" or
what we locally call it, Arctic grass, F."
which of course Is no proper name for
IL, but only given TO describe one par.
ticular characteristic of its habit of
growth. aud that is its extreme hardi.
ness in winter.
Without knowing positively. my opin-
ion is that this grass belongs TO the
Bromus species of grass; that it is the
winter variety of this family as the
Bromus inermls is the summer variety.
Bromus inermis. under successive ex-
periments made by the United States
government iii the hot and arid far
west, has proven itself TO be able TO re-.
Sist the hot, dry weather of that climate
better than any other grass. and with
us it should prove a valuable pasture
grass in summer as we'll as a good hay
grass. lie should be sown in spring,
however. to allow it TO become well
rooted to enable il to resist the winter
After cutting off a crop of hay in
summer it should be allowed to grow
until autumn, when it will afford abund-
ant pasture during our usually dry
months With this grass for summer
or autumn pasture and the Rescue grass
for winter pasture, cattle and sheep will
do well on verS little other feed, except
51ri n a ha If Ionnoryy nd oh
ruary, when our lands are usually too
wet for cattle TO run upon. 1t would be
hard to find better combination than
these two grasses afford for not only an
all the year round pasture, but for val.
liable and abundant hay as WELL
/ have said this much about the
Bromus inermis because it is a new
grass for the south, being native of the
far west, and to suggest that it would
be good scheme to have your depart.
ment introduce it here. for l am quite
sure not one farmer i'll a dozen knows
the value of this grass.
AS for the winter Bromus, or Rescue
grass, as you are pleased to call il, there
no grass that will make better hav.
and as winter paSturage grass it is
lncomparably the best. Not even rye
or barley will stand the winter better or
make more growth. 1t should be sown
on good land, for poor land will not
make any good crop.
The seed bed should be we'll prepared,
as for any other grass, and the seed
sown about bushel and a half to the
acre, early in the autumn-say the first
week i'll September, or as soon there.
after as possible, if you want early win.
ter pasture. should judge it might be
sown In spring, as it is safe to sow oats.
but the difference will be that you find
between spring and fall sown oats. IL
Will not be safe to sow it late in the
spring, as 1t is not fond of hot weather.
lt can be cut early in may. when fully
green, for hay, and then. if the season
is propltious, you may harvest later in
June light crop of seed, owing a good
deal TO the strength of your land But
left TO seed it will bear an ABUNDANT
crop, say at least 90 or more bushels per
acre.
Il cut In the dough" state, as we some.
times cut oats, it will give you feed
equal TO that of sheat oats.
There is no other grass that will stand
more water. 1t will remain unhurt for
ten days under 10 feet of water and
seem TO continue TO grow. Therefore,
1t Is valuable for low, wet river lands.
In reference TO this subject Mr.. w. NJ
CANNON of Rome says as follows:
am neither farmer nor an agros.
toiogIst and DON'T pretend to know, but
1t would give me great satisfaction if
Mr.. Reddlng was mistaken. | have 90
acres of II, am cutting and have been
Tor two weeks. for nav. Am selling it
IN the field for SIS per ton. Off of IL
acres OF good land cut five tons of hay
cured. All | know is that il makes good
nay and sells readily"
Yours truly,
J. LINDSAY JOHNSON.