The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-09
Orchard Grass.

Orcnard brHsHs
Orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata)
is one of our best known, most widely
distributed and most valuable grasses.
1t grows well through a wide range
of both soils and climates and is val
liable both for hay and pasture, says
the Epitomist. 1t will grow on soils
too dry or poor for timothy to do well,
and on those where the fastidiouS blue
grass win not thrive. Its name,
orchard grass" is due to the fact that
it thrives in shady situations, and
hence was considered the best grass
for sowing in orchards in the days
when the thrifty farmers felt that they
must have hay or pasture as well as
fruit from their orchards. The best
time to sow orchard grass is in the
spring, usually in March or April. The
seed may be sown alone at the rate
of one and one-half or two bushels
per acre, or it may be sown with other
grasses or cloVers. 1t is usually sown
broadcast and narrowed in with a light
harrow, and it is very important that
a good seed bed be had for it. When
sown with other grasses it is often
sOwn in the fall. The combination of
orchard grass and red clover used to
be a favorite one. and has much to
recommend it. When sowing blue grass
lOi permanent pasture IL Is duNlSGu DN
some authorities to sow both clover and
orchard grass with it.. The clover usu-
ally disappears after the third or fourth
year, and then the orchard grass occu-
pies the land until the slower-g growing
blue grass gets established. When
sown alone orchard grass has a ten
dency to grow in punches or tussocks
with bare specks between them. Roll
ing and narrowing are said to be good
means of counteracting this tendency;
but the only sure way is to SOW some
other grass that will fill up the va
cant spaces. For pasture orchard grass
is especially valuable, furnishing both
early and late pasture of fine quality
and standing drought remarkably we'll.
1t is safe to say that it should find
place in all mixtures for pasture on
soils which are not saturated with
water. The clovers, the fescues, red
top, blue grass, and in fact, nearly all
our pasture grasses may be combined
with it. For hay orchard grass cannot
be regarded as the equal of either tim
othy or red-top; but when properly
handled it will give fairly large yields
of good hay. 1t should be cut for hay
before 1t comes into bloom. If left UNI
til later the stalks become coarse and
hard and much less palatable and nu-
trtious. It's strong points as a hay
grass are in it's ability to grow well on
SOILS where other grasses would not pay
and to furnish a large amount of pas
ture after the hay crop Is removed
While orchard grass will grow on thin,
gravelly and sandy soils, it will not
grow everywhere. 1t likes best a rich
loose loan and on such soil will fur
nish a surprisingly large amount of
grazing. While il can adapt itself to
many adverse conditions, and is for
this reason of double value, it, like
every other grass, must have good soil
and good care TO do it's best; and like
every other grass it must be sown on
land in condition to receive it if a good
stand is to be expected Happily we
are all learning the need of good seed
beds, and haphazard methods are Civ
ing away to careful preparation in all
lines of seeding.