The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-01-31
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"'Ihe tide Of life, swift always in its course,
May run in cities with Il brislcr force,
Bui no where with Il current sn serene,
Or half SO clear, as in the rural scrnc''
Ir0m the TcncScc Farmer.
Millct Culture.

In 1851, had dairy of forty five COWS,
and having been Obliged the year before to
buy most of my fodder for Il dairy OF about
the same numlcr. cast about to soc if
could not find something that could raise
IN the place Of hay that I could keep my
COWS on, and keep them in good condi.
ton, and ut the same time get good sup
ply of milk from them for market (;,s milk
dalrylng is my hu>;ncss,) I sowcl corn,
and found it M eXcclIcnt substitute; but to
keep so many COWS on it. required too much
labor, and after mil-wintcr it hccame too
dry an'' harsh, and did not give much milk.
In 5l, Sowcd four acres of miIlct Qnur
quarts per acr) the 10th Of June, am, had
as much fodder AS from any eight acres of
grass that vcar-and it was good year
for hay. ! have raised from four to cirlt
acres every year since, and have invariably
had good crops of not only fnldcr or hav,
or straw, equal to as many tuns of the hest
timothy hay, hut from twenty to thirty
bushels of seed to the acre, equal to as
many bushels of corn to feed to any kind
of domestic animals. fed most of nv
seed, after l'avin" it ground to milk COWS,
prcfcrring it to In'ian meal. us making
more milk and of rs rich quality The last
season | had six acres of miIct which has
been worth more than $50 per acre. or
$500 for the six acres. | have fed thirty
five COWS on the straw since the 25,h Of
Janu;Iry, and have enough left to last until
the l>t Of May, and got l2O bushels of
Seed from the lot The rpc~t of the seed,
some sixty bushels. l have for sccd and the
ba!ancc | am now feeling my hr,scs, and
find they do as We'll on the meal put on
cut hay and straw as they did when |
fed IN equal quantity OF corn and oat-
meal.
Now for the manner Of raising it; I
have raised it on green sward, turned over
ut my convenience any time in the fall or
in the spring up to the time Of sowing;
then harrow until mellow, then pu, on from
twelve to eighteen quarts Of seed per acre,
and rs much fine manure us can spare,
from five to fifteen good wagon loads per
acre, and sow about Tie middle vf J,;Hr,
and l am sure to have double the amount
of hay that the same land in similar cun.li-
ton would produce in meadow. 1t will
stand the dronth better than any other crop
| ever raised in fact, it wants hot, dry
weather for j; to grow in; if it is moist
enough for it to come up, there is but little
danger, us the last two years have proved.
After the seed is sown and well dragged or
cultivated, the ground should be well rolled,
as we get a good deal Of dry weather about
that time, and if not rolled it may he too
dry for the seed to grow; but after it is
once up, think there is but little danger
Of Il failure of II crop. The time Of cutting
that | have practiced is, as soon as get
through with my oats-say the last of An
gust, or when about half of the heads have
seed matnre'l enough to grow. The stalk
will be green and full of juice. cradleit,
let it lay one-Ior two days to wilt, and stack
it up as do oats, put on a cap, and let it
cure in the stack; it will then be us bright
rs the best topings Of corn, and any animal
will cat it rs any other forage.
L. B. SHEPARD.