Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1864-08-18
Snnrrs Department.

~In view of the present high
prices Of forage. 1t may seem quite
unnecessary to remind our farmers
how greatly important il is not ouly
to each individual, but to the country
At large, that every svsilable means
of increasing the supply be carefully
adopted.
Haywill hardly fall below $50 per
ton. At this price 1t Is certainly
remunerative, and the prudent far
mer win endeavor to have IS much
to sell as possible. oneway to ef-
feet this end. is to keep no more
stock over winter than necessary TO
carry on the farm. But above all
be careful to secure forage which too
many have heretofore allowed to go
70 waste. The crop of oats this year
In this section has been on an aver
age, fair. The straw if carefully
stacked or housed, is excellent for
feed and must greatly aid the judici-
Gus farmer in carrying his stock
through the winter. The wheat
crop though light, still furnishes s
fair quantity of good straw, all of
which win be required before next
Nay.
As the threshing season is at hand,
we urge all to carefully secure their
STRAW stacks. Evsn If held for sale
which no wise farmer would do, the
high prices viii justify having it well
stacked, and not loosely piled up to
be thoroughly soaked BY the fall
rains
Another source whence the econo-
mical farmer may obtain valuable
forage is the COTE or sorghum crop.
The blades of either Of these if pull
led stthe proper time, and thorough
ly cured, make the most valuable
Feed the farmer can use. Last sea-
son, at our suggestion some Of our
live farmers, preserved the blades of
their Sorghum or Sugar cane, when
preparing it for the mill, and found
in the winter, that fed to their cows
the yield of milk was surprising, and
that al their stock relished it high
". t.4 -'.s .s.t.'.1
The sorghum crop of Gallia county
is becoming Of some Importance
Iffrom 1t, can be secured fodder
enough to enable the farmer to sell
his hay, BY SO much is its value in
creased because the labor bestowed
in pulling of the blades is reqnired in
order to fit the cane for grinding
Save your So-ghuw blades, and test
their vslne this season for forage.
The value of corn blades, all un-
derstand fully. The difficulty seems
to be, in the cost of labor attending
the curing Of it. This to some ex-
teat is true. Labor is scarce and
high. So is forage. The price of
ne keeps pace with the other. The
cost Of labor required to cut off an d
setup field of corn, Will generally
pay to top and blade it. In the first
case you have large quantity of
heavy stalks unfit for food which af-
ter blades and tops are eaten off be-
come q burden to you, and are of no
value as manure. In the second in
stance, you secure the only valuable
portion as fodder and avoid the heav-
lest part of the labor. The first re-
quires stout men, to do well, whilst
the other can be done by women or
children. The 'Contrabands' with
which the country is filed, will un-
derstand this mode of curriug corn
fodder, for it is the only one made
use of in the South. Seta few of
their women and children to work in
your field and test the value of j,
over the eld sloveuly system of cut.
ting up and thus losing one half the
fodder by exposure to the wealth