The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-01-01
Timothy VS.. Mesquite or Velvet Grass.

Institute held recently the topic for
the evening was 1.-THE Rotation of
Crops" The opening paper, by w. II.
Kaufman, had the following points:
First. Where there is an abun-
dance of manure little attention need
be paid to rotation.
Second. Where there is only
small amount of manure, every rota-
ton should include clover or peas
once in three or four years. Plants
need particularly three kinds of food:
Nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid.
Of these three nitrogen is the most
costly. but a government bulletin
states that clover or peas will add
SIS to S25 worth of nitrogen per acre.
That is when we SOW clover on
field we get crop of two to four
tons of hay and still have left in the
root nodules, $18 to $25 worth of nj
trogen for the benefit of the next
crop. In the Puget Sound country
there should be two distinct rotations,
i. e., timothy and clover, and grain
and roots.
Third. In the Puget Sound country
our chief trouble in the timothy field
is velvet grass (Holcus lunatus), often
misscalled cheat or mesquite. AS
this grass starts earlier and ripens
earlier than timothy, it will, in a few
years, run out the timothy unless
checked. If we break up the timothy
sod and SOW grain, we only make a
bad matter worse for the grain is not
ready to cut till August, while the
velvet grass will shed it's seed in
July. This seed cannot be destroyed
until it has sprouted after the fall
rains. Hence grain should never be
sown on timothy land. AS timothy
uses up nitrogen, we should once in
three or four years SOW IL pounds OF
red clover early in the spring. If
the ground is dry, harrow we'll with
peg-tooth harrow If the ground is too
without narrowing. The clover will
wet to harrow the seed will terminate
make no showing in the hay crop, but
will make fine fall pasture. The next
spring cut the clover early, before the
velvet grass has seeded-June goth to
25th. If it is too wet to make hay,
put the clover in the silo. AS soon
as the clover is off the ground, go over
the ground with disk-on a half
lap. Then crossdisk again on half
lap, not too deep. After a week go
over the ground again. After few
days go over again, and after a few
days harrow with spring-tooth har-
row. This should leave the ground in
fine filth and without a living root.
AS no seed ripened the ground is
ready for timothy and should yield
three Or four tons of perfectly clean
timothy the next summer. Even
August disking will not kill velvet
grass on Doggy land. Such land must
be drained. Two years ago l was
much alarmed about velvet grass and
wrote to the agricultural department
at Washington, but all the comfort l
received was to learn that everybody
in the Puget Sound country was hav-
ing the same trouble, and that many
stock ranches were given up to velvet
grass, the owners having become dis
couraged. But l wanted to raise
timothy and looked around for a
remedy In my potato ground I not
iced that the velvet grass was easily
killed in dry weather. So I concluded
that if I could avoid fresh seed I could
kill the stuff. Timothy is too late,
but clover (red clover) comes early
and enables one to get crop and also
kill the velvet grass.
Fourth. Grain should be put in ro-
tation with clover or peas and roots.
Before cultivating roots the last time
SOW crimson clover, turnips or winter
rye. Digging roots will not hurt
these crops, which will make fine fall
and spring pasture and green manure
for blowing under in April, for pota-
toes.
At the conclusion of the paper there
was a general discussion, special at
tention being given to the method of