Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1913-05-08
In THE MATTER OF GRASSES

(By L. r. wALDRON, Superintendent
Sub Station. Dickinson. N. ID
Slender wheat grass Is often wrong
fy called western rye grass. 1t Is not
q rye grass at all but is related to
quack grass. western wheat grass and
to the other wheat grass. 1t differs
from the two named. In that 1t lacks
running root stocks. In short, 1t is a
bunch grass and not turf grass. 1t
is native of the plains and prairies
Of North Dakota and SO little need be
said regarding its ability to resist our
cold winters and hot summers. 1t Is
also drouth resistant. Strangely
enough, this is something that cannot
be said Of many OF our native grasses,
looking at them from the farmers
standpoint. A grass may be able to
tide over dry weather by going to
sleep, as some of ours do, but a grass
is desired that will persist In grow
ing during dry weather
One of the objections is raised
against slender wheat grass as is
| raised against bronze grass--it makes
poor quality Of hay. The same reply
can be made in this case as with
bronze grass The hay is woody,
stemmy and unpalatable, only when
1t stands too long before cutting. The
| slender wheat grass deteriorates even
more rapidly than bronze grass upon
reaching certain stage.
However, If cut early enough, when
the head is only we'll out of the
sheath, and while the foliage Is still
juicy and abundant. it makes very
good hay. quite comparable to timothy
in palatability and richness, even sur
passing timothy in the latter regard.
When given reasonable cultural con.
! ditions one will find slender wheat
| grass utilizing the water that Is avail
! able. In short it Is drouth resistant.
as the farmer wants 1t to be, and 1t
has not the bad habit of the bronze
grass OF becoming "sod.bound." 1t
will, however. respond somewhat to
treatment by discing and more parti'
| cularly to applications of barnyard
manure.
Slender wheat grass differs from
bronze grass in the ease with which Il.
may be killed by blowing. AS indi.
Gated 1t does not possess the long
| root-stocks which make quack grass
such n pest and bronze grass some
times nuisance.
Another advantage of slender wheat
grass is the character OF the seed.
| IThis seed character Is at the same
time disadvantage as will be shown
later.) The seed of slender wheat
grass is heavy enough 80 that it GAG
be handled much like ordinary seed.
| For instance slender wheat grass can
| be Gown in almost any drill, like
wheat, which ia of great advantage.
II one wishes to SOW with q nurse
crop, 1t can be cross-drllled In the
grain, after the grain Is sown. at the
/ rate of IL to 20 pounds per acre. One
can be more sure Of getting stand If
] the grass is sown without nurse
crop and this method lie recommended
for the drier areas of the state.
Slender wheat grass Is adapted to a
! wide range of soils. though one can
not expect 1t to do as we'll upon sandy
land as upon richer. heavier land.
Also the plant is tolerant Of consider
nble alkali. much more SO than tim
othy. and probably more SO than
bronze.
Slender wheat grass is as easily
cured as timothy, and when cured, 1t
makes clean-looking. attractive hay
provided, OF course, that 1t is cut In
due season-which is matter OF
much importance.
Slender wheat grass produces seed
In comparative abundance, the yields
often running from 900 to 400 pounds
per acre, the cleaned seed weighing
from twenty to twenty-five pounds per
bushel. When harvested for seed, the
i grass is handled readily being cut by
j the hinder and threshed in the ordi
nary separator. The threshed seed
is easily cleaned In the f,mning mill
The seed at present Is more expensive
4 than bronze grass seed, because the
4 grass Is less commonly grown
4 The seed of quack grass Is much
l. b i ~ s. T. IL
the same size as the seed of bronze
and slender wheat and in buying seed
of either of these grasses, great care
should be exercised in getting pure
seed. Even a clean bill from the SEED
/ commissioner cannot be considered
| wholly satisfactory as It takes only
one quack seed to start patch. ant
\ there may be only one such seed t.
the bushel. A field inspected by "ont
who knows" is the only certain wa,
to know that one will have pure seed
The auack patches In any infested
4 field should be cut before the genera
!. cutting. and such grass carefully re
moved and burned. II this is thor
oughly done for all of the qauck gras
patches. fiis bronze or slender whea
seed may be considered satisfactnry