Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1903-04-16
AUSTRIAN BRONZE eRAsc.
Experiment Station Is
sues a Bulletin on the Subject.

than by the bushel, but it generally
weighs about fourteen pounds per
bushel.
There is no sure way of telling the
growing strength and conseque:,.. val
Tie of the seed except by counting out
one. two or tire hundred of the seeds
and trying their sprouting and growing
strength in a shallow box of sand or
in germnator, which should be given
the temperature OF a common living
room. If the seeds seem chaffy and
poorly filled it is sufficient ground for
suspicion.
Good. strong, ntavy wheat lano
seems best adapted for bronze grass.
but it does we'll in comparison with
other crops upon light land Supt
Mckay of the Assriboia Experimental
station reports having had good sue
cess with it upon land sufficiently
alkaline to prevent wheat from max
ing crop.
Land which is in guod condition fo1
wheat is we'll prepared for bronze
grass, and the seed of it can be soWn
as early as the soil is in good condi-
ton, as it is not sensitive to frost.
The staton has sown it with good re-
suits as late as August l upon land
which has been kept free from weeds
and upon hich the moisture had been
preserved by frequent cultivation.
1t can be put in with an ordinary
drill! by running the drill shallow and
by making a shaker or agitator to
cause the seed TO feed through tho
force feed arrangement of the drill.
An agitator consists of strip oil
board with a spike driven through it
over each cup in the drill. Fill the
drill box half full of seed. remove the
lid and have boy sit astride the box
and move the agitator from end to end
of the box as the drill is driven through
the field The agitator will cause the
seed to feed down even and regularly.
Bronze grass does not usually sue
eeed with nurse crop, but upon land
which is inclined to blow or drift a
light seeding of oats, at the rate of a
bushel of oats per acre, will prevent
undue drifting, and at the same time
it will not shade and rob the younst,
bronze grass enough to hurt it badly
Cut the oats for hay when the blossom
ing stage has passed, as it is during
the time of filling that small grain is
hardest upon the grass crop seeded
with it. Bronze grass seeded alone
should have the weeds cut above it
with the sickle bar set high as often
as the weeds shade it badly or threat
On to ripen their seed.
Seed it at the rate Of fifteen pounds
per acre if it is put in for hay, and at
the rate of twenty or even twenty-five
pounds per acre if pasture is desired
at the earliest possible time. Bronze
grass will usually make no crop of hay
the first season and will furnish very
little pasture. 1t often looks like a
meager stand the first summer and
fall but it will thicken up in a sur
prising way the second year and fire.
quently a field of bronze grass which
seems but half a stand the first year
will make a good crop the next sea
son.
Three distinct head appearances, III
color may be seen in a field of bronze
grass during the time following the
heading stage. At first the heads are
green, a little later they turn purple
in color-at which time it is ready tc
| 1,o1 Lott no !,
brown. When it has changed about
two-thirds OF the way from purple to
brown it should be cut for seed, as t!!,s
seed will shell badly if it is allowed to
stand long after it has reached the
stage of ripeness described above.
1t is cut for seed with the comm,
grain binder and the sheaves alt
placed in medium-sized shocks Erd
allowed to cure. 1t may be thresiled
/! with the ordinary grain separator b.
using the oat seive and by shutting the
wind off to prevent blowing the liG.lt.
chaffy seed out with the straw
Run the seed twice through Il fan
ming mill and it will be ready for mar
ket. Bronze grass is heavy yielGer
Of seed. the quantity ranging from $50
70 500 pounds per acre.
Bronze grass thickens up rapidly
and on that account field produces
only about four crops of hay or three
successful crops of seed before it be-
comes too badly sod-bound to be val
liable for any purpose aside from pas
turing. The length of time that it re-
mains valuable for pasture seems
much greater. as fields of it are found
to furnish good grazing when they arc
six and seven years old.
To destroy the sod cut the grass il
ample season for hay and break ~ .
sod at once in shallow manner. "
as prairie sod is usually broken. Bac..-
set it late in the summer or very early
fall. as is the custom with prairie Sc
and it will be in good condition for |:
wheat or flax crop the next year.
j. H. Shepherd,
| North Dakota Experiment Station.
NORTH DAkoTANs INVEST.
| Prosperity Reaches the Budding Cap.