The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-19


 mention some of our best grasses.
 Timothy Grass.
 Timothy has long been recognized as the standard hay grass of this country. 1t is being grown over very large part of the United States. 1t is usually con sidered and treated as a short lived per ennial and so is one of the best grasses to grow in a short rotation, Timothy does not however, give a full crop Of hap until it's second year.
 Timothy succeeds best on rich heavy clay soils and as a rule is not soil builder. therefore to get best results an- nual top dressings should be applied.
 As stated before, timothy and clover sown together make excellent hay. When sown alone at least one-fourth bushel of clean seed should be sown per acre. Real ly this would be about the right quantity to use, even where sown with the clover, as it ia very important to SOW enough seed to secure a stand at once. There fore. 1t would be well to use from ten to fifteen pounds each of the clover and timothy, as 1t gives a good crop of hay the first year. Timothy should not be allowed to become over or dead ripe be- fore cutting, as the hay would become woody and lose much of it's feeding value. The best time to cut timothy for hay Is when the heads are in bloom. Red Top Grass.
 Red Top is a hardy, perennial grass which thrives over all our northern states and will grow in low, marshy or wet lands where other good grasses would not. Its chief value is for pasture as it makes fine winter pasture, often continuing to give pasture throughout the entire sea- son. It is also sown in mixed combina- ton for hay. Red Top and Alsike clover Orn al nypaI1ptn ha and these may be grown on very wet lands which would not grow other grasses and clovers. As the seed of both Red Top and Alsike clover are very fine or small, the soil where it is possible, should be made very fine before sowing. How ever good stands are frequently secured from sowing made on the surface or on soiles where it is too wet to blow.
 Red Top does not make really first class hay by itself, but as-it can be grown where better grasses would fail, it is a profitable grass to grow on many soils, and when used with other grasses and clovers furnishes both pasture and hay As stated before, Red Top and Alsike clover grown together make a very good quality of hay, as well as fur nishng fine pasture throughout the great CT part of the year
 One great feature of Red Top is that it will grow on sour soils and may be used to correct the acidity which the soil contains. Where possible to do so, Q good plan would be to put in tile drainage under all our soils which are sour, using lime to assist the drainage In correcting g the acidity that is in the soil. Follow this treatment by sowing the land to Red Top and Alsike clover. This combina- ton will sweeten the soil, eliminate the acidity and put the soil in a fine physical condition for other crODs
 It Is always best to use an ample supply of pure, fresh seed so as to secure a stand al once. Therefore, I would recoin- mend sowing eight pounds each of the Red Top and Alsike clover seed per acre. With proper treatment. a good stand once secured should last for a number of years The common idea regarding Red Top has been that it is only suitable for wet lands and that 1t would thrive only on such lands This is a mistake as it may be grown on a great variety of soils and in many sections both Red Top and Alsike clover have proven valua' ble crops even on our hill lands. See Alsike clover.
 Orchard Grass.
 Orchard grass is one of our hardest ard most profitable grasses and will thrive best, perhaps, on our heavy clay soils. It withstands both heat and cold remarkably we'll. It tOiIGS carry III tllt opiiuS anu stays late in the fall, and in many sec tions of the south, especially on the red clay hills, it remains green all winter, thus furnishing a vast amount of pds- turage. Unfortunately this grass has been badly named (orchard) and this has led many to believe that it was suit able only for orchards, parks or some shaded place. This is a great mistake, as it thrives equally well in the open field. xyha hn for hoth hay n pasture. Orchard grass sends it's roots deep into the soil, so is able to resist some of our dryest summers.
 Orchard grass and red clover grown to- gether make very fine hay. regarded by many as being far superior to timothy and clover hay It is suite dto SOW with clover for hay, as the two bloom to- gether. Wherever orchard grass viii grow it is really better grass for both hay and pasture than is timothy. It $ much better for pasture and equally as good for haly. Those who have tried orchard grass and have given 1t a far chance have become so well pleased with 1t that 1t has become with them a fix ture. The orchard grass belt, at present, seems to extend from southern Ohio across Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, northern Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma and all of Missouri and south ern Kansas. The clay lands and the stony clay hills see into be especially suii = cd for it's production. The writer has known orchard grass seed to be sown on hilsides and stony lands. where no possible seed bed preparation cuold be made, yet 1t would come up and grow. furnishing a wonderful amount of rich pasture. It may be sown alone or with a combination of grasses. However. where