The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-07-19
TALL FESCUE GRASS
HAS ITS ADVANTAGES
Produces More Feed Than the
Common Meadow Variety
Only Apparent Objection to 1t Is That
1t Does Net Produce Seed Album.
dantIy-Good Plan to Sow
After Wheat or Oats.

prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
Tall fescue, an upright, perennial
grass. has advantages over the more
commonly grown meadow fescue,
which it resembles closely. Tests with
the two grasses conducted by the Uni
ted States department of agriculture
indicate that the tall fescue produces
more feed and is in general more hardy
or robust. 1t does not appear to be
susceptible to attacks of oat smut,
which frequently damages the seed
crop of the meadow fescue in Kansas,
Nebraska and Missouri While some
what coarser it appears to be equally
palatable and nutritious. Apparently
the only objection TO it is that it does
not produce seed as abundantly as the
meadow fescue, and the principal rea-
son why it is not more generally grown
is the high price of the spcd. Because
the seed is scarce and expensive it is
frequently poor in quality, which is
accountable for the difficulty expert
enced by some growers in getting a
good stand.
Tall fescue has the undesirable hab-
it of ripening its seed very uneyenly,
and this fault, with the fact that it
sends up few d-producing stems,
makes the yield light. Fields in north.
eastern Kansas which ordinarily yield
II to Is bushels of meadow fescue
seed produce only three to seven BUSH
els an acre of tall fescuc. Tests at
Pullman, Wash, indicate that in east
ern Washington seed can he produced
more successfully than in eastern Kan
sas. Planted in rows 10 inches apart
and cultivated, yields as high as "A
bushels an acre have been obtained.
In eastern Kansas and Missouri fall
seeding of tall fescue seems to give
the best results, but in sections where
the winters are more severe, and
where there is considerable freezing
and thaWing causing the ground TO
heavc badly, spring seeding is prefer
able. It Is a good practice to sow on
ground that has been previously in
wheat or oats and which has been
plOwel in July or early August. Tall
fCScur is also SOWn successfully in fall
wheat or rye. Seed may be sown Ell
Their broadcast or with press drill,
the latter method giving the best re-
suits. When drill is used it is well
to sow one-half of the seed each way,
so as to cover the ground more evenly.
A perfect stand is sometimes secured
with about fifteen pounds of seed an
acre but 20 to 25 pounds are recon-
mended under most conditions
When the meadow is intended pri-
marily as a hay crop the grass is cut
with mower just as it is coming into
bloom. The processes of curing and
stacking are similar to those for TIM
othy and other hay grasses. In har-
yesting the seed crop the grass must
be cut rs soon as it begins to take
on ycllowish color, otherwise consid-
cradle seed will be lost through shat
tering. It is cut with a grain binder
and placed in small shocks to cure,
and the thrashing ordinarily is done
directly from the shocks in the field.
An ordinary grain separator can be
used for thrashng by cutting off most
of the blast from the fan. Special
screens are of value. but are not neces-
sary, as wheat riddle does fairly sat