Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 June 1887 — RURAL TOPICS. [ARTICLE]

RURAL TOPICS.

Some Practical Suggestions for Our Agricultural Readers. Information of Value to the Farmer, Stock-Breeder, Housewife, and Kitchen-Maid. Permanent Pasture*. We do not pay sufficient attention to the stocking of permanent pastures. All lands that will produce good grass, but which are too- rough or to cultivation, should be seeded down to a variety of grasses and kept as permanent pastures. Varieties npt United to one areii will retain a foothold in other spaces nqd prevent any weak spots, the whole in the end forming a dense, compact sod that will furnish early and late pasture and will not be poached by the stock grazing thereon. In the meadow it, is necessary that the grasses sown should ripen together, or nearly so. Meadow grasses are to be cut and cured into hay. In the pasture the grass should not be allowed to rise to the seed head. In fact, it should be pastured clos ■ enough to see that the herbage shall always be tender and succulent. It will be of advantage on every farm if all hilly, rocky, stumpy land be laid (Town to permanent pasture, th/latter at least until the stumjte can be easily removed. It is the best possible use to which such lands can be put, To assist in this the following list, with the quantities ot seed to be sown, will be worthy of trial. The list is tabulated both for meadow and pasture, the omissions in the meadow column being varieties not adapted to meadows. The list is for good meadow and pasture soils such as our prairie loams are composed of. The totals are pounds of seed per acre: , ■ - . . Seed, Seed pounds, pasture, Good meadow soils. for hay. pounds. Timothy. 12 8 Bed clover (biennial} ...—™.B 4 Red clover (perennial} . 0 4 Orchard grass 6 8 Meadow fescue 2 3 Meadow foxtail 0 3 Bluegrass.... 0 5 Red top 3 3 Rye grass 4 2 Fowl meadow 2 4 White c10ver..... 0 4 T0ta1,,.. ........................37 48 These quantities of seed may seem large to some. They are not so ,for pasture, and the best cultivators now sow heavily for hay. It gives a full burden of fine grass quickly, and there are no weak spots. The list, gives sdven varieties for hay and eleven for pasture. For lands subject to occasional overflow the fallowing list be tried: Seed, Seed, hay, pasture, Land svlject to overflow. pounds, pounds. Fowl meadow. 8 4 Alsiko 6 6 Tall fescue. 5 5 Rough-stalked meadow 4 4 Blue grass 0 3 Red top 4 4 Timothy. ...... 5 2 Florin ..ri......... 0 2 Meadow soft-grass 4 4 Perennial clover .. ;. 0 3 White clovor.. 0 3 Total 30 40 To start a meadow or a pasture the soil as to its upper surface must be brought into the finest possible tilth. The seed should be sown as early in the spring as the ground can be worked, and the seed simply rolled in. If the land was properly prepared last fall the seed may be sown in a light snow and left without covering. It will in this case be found advisable as soon as the soil'becomes firm to pass the roller over the whole. Even if the grass is up, if the soil be dry, no harm will be done the grass. Do not turn stock into the pasture until the grass is well up and the sward firm, and on no account pasture a meadow in the spring from which a crop is expected to be cut the succeeding summer. —Chicago Tribune. Farm A oten. If old hay be cut and moistened before being fed to horses there will be fewer animals suffering from heaves. Feeding dusty materials is usually the cause of the difficulty. If your land is well underdrained you will often be able to plow while your neighbor who may not have underdrained is waiting for his ground to dry off before A mixture of equal parts of red pepper and Scotch snuff thrown into rat-holes will cause the vermin to leave. Hats soon become suspicious of poison, and the mixture easily frightens them. All food cooked for stock is mors easily assimilated than when raw. It ie only a question of cost in cooking. Roots cooked and thickened with ground grain make an excellent mess fbr all kinds of stock. , - Manuring lanj by plowing under some kind of green crop, such as millet, buckwheat, oats, or peas, should be fl the object of every farmer. Clover is also excellent, and lime should be freely used at the same lime.