The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-03-25
GRASS SEEDS AND
HOW TO SOW THEM
QUANTITIES OF GOOD SEED TO
EACH BUSHEL
Considerable Percentage of Chaff and
Weeds in Most Grass Seeds-Com-
binatfon of Grasses Desirable for
Permanent Pasture.

I'm recent issue of the Ranch at
tention was called to complaints
among farmers of San Juan county
regarding the poor terminating
qualities of grass seeds bought and
sown by them. Since that article
was printed the Ranch has come into
possession of some valuable and not
generally understood information on
grasses, as relates to the percentage
OF seeds that grow. If those who in
tend to SOW grass seed the coming
spring will carefully consider all the
points set forth here and act accord
ingly, a better stand will be secured
at the end of the season and one need
not harbor feeling that every seeds
man is defrauding his grass custom
ers. Every farmer should know that
the amount of grass seed to SOW on
an acre is regulated by more or less
well-de6ned rules, based upon gen
eral experience and varying some
what locally. Thus, it is said that
three bushels an acre should be plant
ed of red top, orchard-grass and Eng
lish rye-grass; one-half to one bushel
of timothy, and fifteen to twenty five
pounds of alfalfa. These rules, how
ever, do not take into consideration
the quality of the seed used. Assum-
ing, for example, that three bushels
of first quality seed is meant, then an
increased amount should be sown
when an inferior seed is used The
standard weight for orchard grass is
fourteen pounds to the bushel and of
this about nine pounds will grow, the
remainder being chaff, dead seeds
and weed seeds. If the seed pur-
chased has a lower termination, say
so per cent, instead of 80 per cent,
then only a little more than 81
pounds of pure and good seed will be
found in every bushel. Again, if the
amount of chaff is greater, there
may be only a little more than 81
pounds of pure and good seed. Three
bushels of standard orchard-grass
seed, weighing fourteen pounds to
the bushel, contain twenty-five
pounds of good seed; therefore, if a
similar stand is desired from seed Of
the same weight but lower germina-
ton, nearly five bushels to the acre
must be sown, while of seed weighing
twelve pounds bushel and germinat
ing so per cent, 81 bushels will be
needed. On the other hand, if high
grade seed weighing 16a pounds and
terminating 80 per cent is used, there
will be over fourteen pounds of good
seed to the bushel, and less than Ii
bushels need be used. It is clear
from this that the little knowledge
one gets of a sample of seed by pass
ing handful through the fingers is
not sufficient basis for a correct
Judgment of the amount to SOW. A
uniform stand under these conditions
is secured only by chance. Seed may
fail to come up if thus carelessly Sc
lected, although every care has been
taken with the preparation of the
land.
A combination of grasses is espe-
cially desirable for pasture, giving
more continuous grazing, greater
production, more variety and per-
haps a better balanced food ration.
Grasses should be chosen which are
different in their periods of summer
growth and their dates maturing, in
order to lengthen the grazing period
and give the greatest amount and
most continuous pasture. A combi-
nation of grasses may be made which
will form more perfect sod than any
one grass will produce with a more
permanent pasture. To illustrate,
take a combination of orchard-grass,
meadow fescue and bromus inermis.
Orchard-grass starts very early in
the spring, makes rapid growth and
natures early in the summer. 1t
nroduces little during the drier sum-
mer months. It has the characters
tic Of growing in bunches, but does
not form q sod. Meadow fescue, on
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