The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-08-23

EDITORS SOUTHERN CTLrrvAToR.-)
AS the time Is not far distant when as
L think grass seeds should be sown, 1.
give few actual experiments hoping
that they may prove of some advan-
tage to our brother farmers. The land
that am devoting to meadow liz creek
bottom, low and black. In September
1870, turned the land with two horse
steel plows, narrowed twice and brush
ed, lit was covered with weeds) and on
October the 18th sowed Orchard grass
u bushels to the acre-on the 10th,
Red top II bushels to the acre, and on
the 18th more orchard grass, II busha
els to the acre-brushing the seed in
as they were sown. The seed that
was sown on the freshly plowed land
came up first however in a few weeks
there was as fine a stand up as any
one could wish for, and all grew off
finely, in fact grew nearly all the
Writer.
In march 1871 I turned over all my
land for oats with twO-borse steel
plows, and on the 18th sOwed a Cd half
acre cut in oats narrowing before SOW
ing ard then narrowing them in;
sowed also one peck of Timothy to the
acre. On the 23rd sowed az half acre
more of oats and timothy; by April
18TH had fine stand of oats and Tim
othy. Commenced cutting the oats
the 29th Of June. Oats from waist to
shoulder high, timothy half leg high.
Orchard grass and Red top sown in
October from waist To shoulder high,
very thick and scarcely any weeds i'm
it; commenced cutting it for hay the
10th of July think it made over a ton
to the acre. Commenced turning stub
BILE land September the 4th and con-
tinucd till the 9th, the ground getting
so hard and dry we could not plow TO
do any good; light showers on the
14th and 18th narrowed the land pre-
viousIy, plowed ON the 10th; no more
rain till October the 18th. Commenced
blowing and narrowing on the 18th
and on the 18th commenced sowing
timothy one bushel TO every 81 acres
and narrowing in the seed with rotary
harrow, finished the 9th. Fine stand,
up and growing off by November the
20lh, and although the winter was
quite severe, the grass seemed TO grow
nearly all the winter and as the spring
opened, started to growing right along
that i'm the oats looking badly.
Result this, July the LIST, 1872, the
timothy sowed OH the oats was SO thin
and so full of weeds that We cut 1t and
cooked it TO haul i'm TO make bedding
for the stock, not fit even for cattle
food. That sOwn in the fall we are
now cutting; it will average waist
high, has very few weeds init and is
producing large quantity of the fin
est hay.
/ must say that the two years past
las thoroughly convinced me rs to
fail and spring sowing and sowing a
plenty of seed on the land. / also
think il there is moisture enough in
| the ground to make the seed sprOut,
lhats.early in September is the best
timeto SOW. When you do SOW, he
sure that there is season enough to
make the seed come. From the results
of an acre lot that l have. sOwn i'll
timothy, red top, orchard grass and
clover, | am greatly in favor of mixing
the grasses, for i'm some seasons one
predOminates and then another and
hence / think the grasses are like
other crops that we raise, some seasons
|
ever in mixing there should be due
regard paid to the times of rlpening,
unless ON land exclusively devoted t.
pasture, and then the more varieties
and the more difference in time OF
riDening the better.
/ Red top is the best real wet land
grass that now know of, yet l would
always mix little timothy with it.
On up-lands orchard grass and clover
both ripen at the same time, still they
make fine pasture and the hay can't
be beaten if properly handled. From
my experience 1 should always sow
it early in the fall and use a plenty OF
seed. Ii can be sown on grain in the
spring, but fair trial of spring and
fall sowing will convince the most
skeptical. A thorough preparation of
laud, plenty of seed and light cover
ing will be followed with but few
failures.
If we only could get our brother cot
ton planters to raise their own mules,
beef, mutton, goats, pork and horses
corn, oats, wheat and hay, we would
soon be the richest people on the globe.
Quit cotton! never-but why make SO
much and ruin our lands, when hall
we do make would bring just as much
money and we could then raise all
kinds of stock, and our land with the
proper management would grow better
ana better and we richer and richer
Is there one reason why our southern
country is not the best country in the
world for stock and cotton combined
SCRUB.