Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1903-04-17
Why !?
BRONZE GRASS.
N. S. French of Lamours County Tells
How to Raise Bronze Grass

~ Ne ~. T 1CuCu VI Ad4AOulS SVuQLy CHS
How to Raise Bronze Grass
N. S. French of Berlin, N. D., in
The Dakota Farmer: So many have
asked for information about sowing,
cutting and threshing bronze grass
that it seems in order to give a little
OF my experience with this new grass.
We first sowed some five years ago
from seed sent from Russia by Profess
sor Hansen. We have saved our own.
seed since then, and sowed again UNI
It'll last year we cut about Is acres Of
very fine seed, and next year expect to
harvest about thirty more. Our grass
was from three to four feet high this
year, and if it had been cut for hay
would probably have yielded about
two tons per acre. In a dry season it
would not yield as much. If cut
when in blossom it makes better hay
than any grass known, excepting pos
sibly alfalfa. If allowed to rjpen,
the hay quality is not so good; but
even then, it is better than ripe tim
othy.
A. a pasture grass, it has no equal
here. Have always sown or good
land-that is, common high prairie,
with a clay subsoil, about like the
average central Dakota land. It may
do fairly we'll on sand or gravelly
land, but our experience is, the better
the land, the better the grass. Have
sown with nearly all kinds Of grain
and alone. We have, as a rule, got
ten a good stand, sometimes a little
thin at first, but it soon thickens up.
Have pastured some the same summer
we snwed it, but do not recommend
doing so. Better NOW or cut for
SEED, two VI more years, and then
pasture as lorg as you like. One acre
of well-set Bronze grass will pasture
as much stock as five acres of COMMON
prairie grass. Some seed catalogues
say, one to fifteen, but this is not a
seed catalogue.
The main essential for good catches
are good seed, from 10 to 20 pounds
per acre, and a firm seed bed, with
the sub-surface we'll packed down,
aud the fine loose dirt about 9 inches
deep on top. in which to cover the
seed about one-half inch deep. If
you get a good shower it will come up
in from FIVE to ten days. If no show
ers come it will generally get moist
ure enough from below; if this is not
enough to start it, it will wait until
it does rain and then come. We
have had some seed lie in the ground
through n summer and winter and
then come up.
Most seedmen recommend sowing
it without a nurse crop, which is all
right if the weeds are mown down
once or twice and left on the ground
to shade the young grass.
1t is very small when it first comes
up and needs shade. When sown
thus, and where several acres are
sown this is worth something. W.
find the most practical plan is to fall
pillow and fall harrow. Then drill
wheat, speltz or rye, n bushel OF
less per acre, as early as practicable,
and SOW Bronze seed at once, broad.
cast by hand, covering it lightly with
a common wiretooth hay rake or 8
light smoothing harrow. Leave 6
high stubble when grain is cut, and
don't pillow the land in the fall, ever
if you can't find much grass coming
up. Don't even pillow it the mex
spring because the grass is thin, bu'
NOV the weeds and what grass Their
is for hay and it will get plenty thicl
enough in another year or two. If
sown with oats, NOW them for hay
when they head out. If you want t
save the seed where the grass is thin
clip the heads off with a header, pill
ing them off in small bundles unit
dry, then stack for threshing. TIL
bottom may afterwards be now TO-
hay. or left to catch the Q as pre-
ferred. When heavy grass is to b.
cut for seed, use a binder set to max
small bundles. Make small shock
without caps and stack as soon as j
cures.
For hay, cut when in blossom. Il
clear weather the blossoms only shoy
at evening and morning, as it is
night bloomer. The bloom is
bright saffron, and M seer, ca
never again be overlooked althoue]
I have heard men say that their gras
did not blossom at all. The ripeninl
seed becomes a rich purple color il
ten or fifteen days after the blossom
show. The ooner it is cut after it
gets purple the better.
Thresh on a dry, still day if pos
sible. Take ont half the concave
and Get balance we'll down. Ru,
cylinoer slow and feed slow. Us
oat sieve with wind all shut off and
good man to tend sieves. Two goot
(. T. aaIaE ~ 80 i. e. ~ &. III ri ia Al,