Author: Henry Ling Roth

Publisher: Theclassics.Us

Published: 2013-09

Total Pages: 22

ISBN-13: 9781230416830

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1878 edition. Excerpt: ... 41 chapter V. fodder. As already mentioned, clover has settled down as a regular crop in the Cis-Volgian provinces. In the Trans-Volgian, however, with one or two exceptions, clover is unknown, agriculturists relying upon the propitiousness of Providence for their fodder supplies. Hay is chiefly prepared from the rank grass that grows luxuriantly enough on the low-lying lands, river banks, or other hollows which, owing to their position, cannot be cultivated, being flooded in spring, when the snows dissolve, and rivers are swollen, but which dry up later in the summer. There is also always more or less land on the steppe or long-rest system which already on the third year's rest gives good hay, consisting, for the most part, of couch grass, afterwards ousted by the Covil or Stipa (pennata?) Covil forms a highly-nutritive, but at the same time, an excessively coarse hay, on account of the great quantity of siliceous matter it contains. The hay harvested from Covil meadows is pitifully small in quantity. I cannot give the exact amount of Covil hay harvested, as no man I came across had felt himself sufficiently interested to have a crop weighed; but I should say a good crop might give sixty poods per shestdaysyattaya dessiatin, or about five cwt. per acre. Since land cultivated on the steppe-system does not grow sufficient natural herbage for the sustenance of stock until the second or third year's rest, much capital lies for a time uselessly locked up. To remedy this, a spirited Cossack gentleman, Mr. Obratnoff,1 attempted the introduction of artificial grasses. After the removal of the crops he sowed the following varieties: sanfoin, lucerne, Timothy-grass, Swedish clover, and German panic-grass. This attempt was made three to four years...