The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1917-05-25
Crop of High Grade Blue
Grass Seed Should Be
Raised This Year.
by H. Garman, Kentucky Expert
ment Station.

by H. Garman, Kentucky Expert
ment Station.
The production of bluegrass seed
of superior terminating quality is
an object worthy of the best efforts
of our farmers and seedmen this
year, being entirely in line with the
wartime propaganda for increased
food and feed production. But to
do our best with the crop we must
greatly improve our practice, for it
is generally recognized that Ken
tuckygrowers have in the past been
too hasty in harvesting and too care
less i'm curing these seeds. This has
given Kentucky-grown bluegrass a
bad reputation outside the State, a
reputation that will stick to us as
long as we do not exert ourselves
and adopt practices which have been
shown to be necessary in order to
get the crop off the land and cured
showing a better average germina-
ton. 1t is our bounded duty to do
it this year. The writer knows
whereof he speaks when he declares
that it is practicable to harvest a
crop averaging 80 per cent. germi-
alton. Kentucky seeds have been
sold in our markets this year that
tested 90 per cent. and above. Yet
from curing ricks out OF doors av-
eraged only 50 per cent. This is
in 1915 numerous samples taken
not high enough. We can produce
as good seeds as Missouri if we will
only take the pains in harvesting
and curing taken by the Missouri
growers. This year nonresident
seedmen who were compelled to
come to Kentucky for blue grass
seeds because the crop was a failure
in Missouri in 1916, were surprised
to find homegrown seeds in our
market testing 90 per cent. They
had been accustomed to believe that
our soil and climate would not pro-
duce such seeds. Missouri seedmen
are now trading on the belief, ii
must be dispelled.
A study of the blue grass seed
condition in Kentucky shows that ii
is not our soil and climate but our
way of handling the crop that re-
duces the quality of the seeds. The
chief reasons why our average is
low are:
/. Too large a production of
the crop is stripped while green.
2. The seeds are permitted to
heat in bags or ricks while curing
We begin stripping a week OF
ten days too soon, the argument urg
ed in favor of this practice being
generally that the supply of stripper.
is not sufficient for all, and that
hence to save the crop the work
must begin before the seeds are
thoroughly ripe. 1t is poor sort OF
argument when urged year after
year, and has resulted in the saving
of green seeds at the expense of our
| reputation.
Growers are urged to prepare at
| once to harvest this crop. Strip
pers in sufficient numbers should be
secured as soon as possible. The
cylinder stripper used by the Mis-
souri, growers ought to be given a
trial. 1t saves only the best and
thoroughly ripened seeds, it is true,
but these bring a better price, and
we can afford to let some of the
rest go. Our reputation is at stake,
remember.
Don't touch a crop averaging 81
per cent. or above. The Missouri
ans want to be shown and ought to
be shown that we can do this.
Avoid weeds. The pure seed law
requires that when offered for sale
in our market blue grass seeds
shall not have mixed with them more
than one sour dock seed to every
two thousand blue grass seeds.
Seedmen complain that the farmer
is not careful enough about avoiding
the weedy places when stripping
and that he is largely to blame for
the large number of weed seeds
present in the harvested crop.
Attention is called to this matter
particularly because this is the time
of all times when the sour dock can
be removed to advantage. Patches
of this weed growing in pastures
that are to be stripped should be
moved now. Very badly infested
land should not be stripped. The
seedmen say that this is the farm.
ers'"bit" and they are right about
it. Suppress the sour dock in past.
ures. Do not permit it to mature
seeds at any time.