ORCHARD GRASS

W. H. M., Gilman, Iroquois Co., Ill., sends
a sample of this grass, and wishes to know
what it is, and whether it will be likely to
prove troublesome.

It will make him just about as much trouble as so much timothy or herds grass, (Phleum pratense).

The name of the sample is the famous orchard grass or cock's foot (Dactylis glomerata. It is a native of Europe, where it has
been cultivated for over & hundred years,
meeting with great favor for pastures and
meadows. It thrives tolerably well under
the shade trees, hence one of the names, orchard grass. It ripens early, about the time
of red clover; and starts very soon after being mowed. It is very nutritious, and much
liked by cattle if not allowed to get too old
and large. It should be sown thickly and
cut early for meadow. It is apt to grow in
bushes or tufts. In many places of England
it stands highest of all grasses in value. In
some parts of Kentucky it is sown almost
exclusively with red clover. In some rich,
new timbered land we know it has, after a
a few years, nearly run out when sown with
white clover, June grass and red top. Where
it succeeds, if grazed down and the stock
are turned off, it will be ready for re-grazing
in less than one-half the time required for
June grass. In summer it is said to grow
more in a day than June grass will in a
week. It has been neglected because it is
the fashion to sow timothy and clover.
Fashion is as much a tyrant among farmers

as among the ladies, though showing his
power in a different mode.

Mr. Hyde, of Massachusetts, says in a recent lecture that he has mowed one piece
for eight years, twice a year, and that it is as
good as ever. It must not be allowed to get
too old before cutting, else the stalks become
too hard and coarse.

In Great Britain it is said to endure
drought when everything else is burned up.

An eminent farmer of Scotland says:
"Cock's foot is probably the best known
and most productive and valuable of our indigenous grasses." Flint, of Massachusetts,
says: "Its rapidity of growth, the luxuriance
of its aftermath, and its power of enduring
the cropping of cattle, commend it highly to
the farmer's care, especially as a pasture
grass." All agree that it should be closely
cropped. Some praise it, others call it
worthless.

Sow with other grasses on account of its
forming large tufts when grown alone. One
author says do not sow it for lawn, because
it grows so fast you would be obliged to cut
it every morning before breakfast.

The grass is worthy of a fair trial on various soils and in various climates. We
should be glad to hear from some who have
found this grass to succeed in Iowa, Illinois,
or other Western states; the soil and treatment of the grass. We advise experiments on all prominent grasses.
W. J. B.