The Dickinson press., 1913-03-29
Slender Wheat er... (Asropyror Ten erum).
/. r. wALDRoN. Superintendent,

?(By l. r. wALDRON. Superintendent
Satisfaction. Dickinson. N. d. !
Slender wheat grass Ia often wrong
~ called western rye grass. 1t is not
a y 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 it lacks
running root stocks. In short, it 10 q
bunch grass and not q turf grass. It
10 a native Of the plains and prairies
of North Dakota and 40 little need be
said regarding its ability to resist Jul
cold winters and hot summers. 1t 10
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 il
raised against bronze erass-it makes
a poor quality of hay. The same reply
can be made In this cas as with
bronze grass. The hay is woody,
.stemmy and unpalatable. only when
1t stands too long before cutting. The
slender wheat grass d~eteriorates ever
more rapidly than bronze grass upon
reaching a 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, 1t makes very
good hay, quite comparable to timothy
in %palatability and richness. wen sur
passing timothy in the latter regard.
When given reasonable cultural con-
grass utilizing the water that is avail
able. In short 1t is drouth resistant,
as the farmer wants it to be, and ii
has not the bad habit of the bronze
grass Of becoming ~"sod-bound." Ii
will, however, respond somewhat to
treatment by discing and more parti7
cularly to applications Of barnyard
manure
Slender wheat grass differs from
bronze grass in the ease with which It
may be killed by blowing. AS indi1
Gated it does not possess the long
root-stocks which make quack grass
such a pest and bronze grass mi
times a nuisance.
Another advantage of slender wheat
grass is the character Of the seed.
(This seed character Is at the same
time a disadvantage q will be shown
later.) The seed of slender wheat
grass is heavy enough sc that it can
be handled much like ordinary seed.
For instance slender wheat grass can
be sown in almost any drill. like
wheat, which is Of great advantage.
II one wishes to SOW with a nurse
crop. it can be c~ross-drilled In the
grain, after the grain is sown, at the
rate of IS to 20 pounds per acre. One
can be more sure of getting a stand IL
the grass is sowu without a nurse
crop and this method is 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
able 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, it
makes a clean-looking, attractive hay.
provided, Of course, that it Is cut in
due season-which Is q. 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
grass is handled readily. being cut by
the binder and threshed in the 4rdi-
nary separator. The threshed seed
Ia easily cleaned in the tanning mill.
The seed at present Is more expensive
than bronze grass seed, because the
grass is less commonly grown.
The seed Of quack grass is much
the same size az the seed of bronze
and slender wheat, and In buying seed