Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1903-11-30

Bronze grass promises to become the
most valuable all-purpose hay and
pasture plant in the Northwest. 1t has
taken the place of the clovers and al
falfa in the semi-arid districts The
grass is the first stock feed to appear
in the spring and the last to fail before
the SHOWS of winter cover the earth.
1t gives an abundant summer pasture
and produces fine crops of hay and
seed. Some farmers in Washington
and Idaho state that they have made
more money from bronze grass than
from any crop grown on the land.
A field of 400 acres of bronze grass
is one of the curiosities of n farm
near Moscow, Idaho 1t lies on the
slopes of the mountains and occupies
rolling hillsides dipping to every point
of the compass. The site is a winter
sheep camp. The owner has band
of 5000 sheep which he pastures on
the bronze grass and surrounding
bunch grass from late i'm the autumn
until May. Last spring the sheep were
not removed until after the first week
in May. The field gave two cuttings
of seed and is now occupied for sheep
pasture.
How Crop is Used
The bronze seed ripened for the first
crop in June. Then the owner put in
six self binder machines and cut the
grass. 1t stood from three feet to five
feet high. The seed heads reached
above buggy seat In some places.
This crop gave an estimated yield Of
500 pounds of seed to the acre for the
first cutting. In September a second
cutting gave one-third more. 1t is es-
timated that the seed from the two
crops viii aggregate 210 tons.
That sheep pasture will pay the
owner amout $4,000 for bronze seed
and give winter feed for a band OF
5000 sheep. The seed has been con-
tracted for Is cents a pound. 1t Is
perfectly clean and OF the best class for
sowing. When the grass was cut in
September ii left a fine coating of
young stems struggling for atmosphere
They began to grow at once and in a
few days the entire area presented a
continuous greensward. This will re-
main until December.
Western Farmers Like II
Brome grass rs OF Russian origin. 1t
is adapted to arid and semi-arid dis
tricta 1t withstands drouth to great
degree and will show green when other
forage plants are brown and worthless.
The seed was first distributed through
~.
nished by the department of agricul-
ture. Many experiments conducted in
the Dakotas. Minnesota, California,
Washington, Oregon and Idaho have
demonstrated its value to the western
farmer.
In the wheat sections, as the Dako-
tas, where diversified farming has been
little practiced, bronze grass has be-
come recognized mortgage litter
One man in the Camas Prairie section
of Idaho has old hogs from a quarter
section of land for $4,000. and retained
a fine band for next year, The hogs
were all under one year old. They
had been grown on an eighty-acre field
of bronze grass. The only additional
barn. This farm never produced over
$4,000 per year when devoted to GER
calls alone.
To Fatten Hogs
The system of feeding hogs grown
on bronze grass to give them the down
grain and shattered wheat after harry
est. For this purpose the fields are
fenced with hok wire. After the fields
are cleaned the hogs are put in close
lots and fed from three to FIVE bushels
of wheat each. Then they sell for 6
cents pound on foot Hogs that last
January We're placed at a farm valua-
ton of IS per head have been sold this
fail for from SIS to 500 each. The Sc
cret is that new food--brome grass.
A bushel of bronze grass seed weighs
fourteen pounds. 1t requires about two
bushels to plant an acre The first
year the grass crop is of no value for
hay or pasture. The second season it
may be pastured and cat for hay. Some
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