The German Forage Plant.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 852, 29 June 1888, Page 19

The German Forage Plant.

Those who are interested in securing a good forage grass for the foothills will be glad to read the following from the Carson Appeal: The more the Appeal investigates the subject of espercct, the more convincing becomes the proof that it is the grand fodder plant of Nevada. Yesterday it had an interview with Georgo Rainmelskamp, who has been for fourteen years the foreman of the Sutro Tunnel ranch. Knowing that he had been a practical rancher in Germany, the writer asked him to toll what he knew about esperoet. ‘ I know all about the grass,’ said Mr. Raminelskamp. ‘I have raised a great deal of it in Germany. It is the principle fodder grass of that country. Yet I would hardly call it a grass, but rather a weed. It grows rank and quick, will do without irrigation, seeds down rapidly and is perennial. It will grow on the worst land you can find in this Stats. I have it soattered on land that seemed to be nothing but grit. It was worse than sandy land ; regu’ar grit, seemingly useless, but espercet would grow finely on it. I have seen it planted on hard, red soil that would resist a pick, and yet the espercet would grow from eighteen inches to two feet high on it without water. Still a little irrigation is a great improvement. With one irrigation in the spring it will grow to a man’s chin, and so rank and thick that men want extra pay to mow it. I have seen seven tons to the acre cut in Germany, and a German acre is smaller than an American acve. For espercet, take any of the big sandy deserts, so called, of the State, and you can

turn them into big espercet fields. A few summer showeis will make the plants grow high and rank. It fattens stock rapidly and makes cows give milk splendidly. A million tons of espercet could be raised in Nevada in plaees which are now considered worthless for anything. It will not seed the first -year, but after that it is a heavy seeder. The seeds grow in pods and yield tremendously. I will send to Germany for large quantities of the seed this summer. The fall is, I think, the best time to sow it. Scatter it among the sagebrush in the fall without even harrowing, and it will soon spread. Cattlemen ought to pay more attention to this plant.’