The Van Buren press., 1872-01-23
CRAWFORD COUNTY, ARK, Jan. l, ~.

Mr.. EDITOR -
At the Annual Meeting OF the Craw
ford County Agricultural and Mechanical
Association, was appointed to report
on Grasses aud Small Grain, and while
think better selection might have been
made, and while reflect that l have been
in the County but few years, yet my zeal
for the promotion Of the agricultural in
tercsts Of my County has prompted me
to give to the public, the benefit Of my
experience in the peculiar departments
assigned to me. And first as to the plant
ing and profit Of
WHEAT.
l have tried wheat in various ways, s,and
have sown divers kinds. l have planted
early and late in the fall in land manured
and without manure, and have found it,
as a source of profit, a failure. In the
first place we have free stone soil,
which is not good for wheat. IL it is
sown early, the warm weather in Februa-
ry and March starts it to growing, and
the late frosts in April, kills it, il sown
late, it gets late start in the spring, and,
being young and tender, the earth becom.
ing hot, the wheat is attacked by the rust
or mildew and grain fails to form. No
money can be made by the cultivation Of
wheat, unless 900 pounds can be made to
the acre; 600 pounds will justify raising
for home consumption, but two or three
hundred pounds, as raised here, does n OF
pay in any sense of the word, The NJ edi-
terranean wheat is the best | have tried
for this climate. intend to try sowing
on clover sod and il this fails, | shall
abandon wheat.
do we'll here, so far as l have tried them.
My farm is what is known here as fiat
woods upland. The common black oats
is the kind l have tried, with the excep.
ton of few large white oats, sent me as
Norway oats" tried them last sea
son and find they do well. l think our
climate will suit them wcll-and ! am
convinced they will do much better than
any oat l have yet tried. ! SOW oats in
February and, at least, two bushels per
acre Plow well, but not deep harrow
in thoroughly. (Refer to Agricultural
h'pott, looo. P'Se %ot'J
GRASSES.
Crawford county depends more on
grasses than any other product, for her
future prosperity, We would much pre-
fer to pay so cents per pound for sweet
golden butter, than 20 cents for white,
puffy cotton seed butter or lj cents for
tender. fat beef, rather than cents for
poor. habby, blNe beef; or 10 cents for
fat, solid pork, rather than 3 cents for
miserable, thin, slippery pork, not fit for
bacon or lard. with q hide like sole-leath-
er Now, all this can be done, If proper
attention is paid to the culture Of grass
es That the various kinds Of grasses
will grow finely in this County, is q de-
monstrated fact. Annual grasses neSd
not be mentioned, but | will speak of
Timothy and Clover, the standard grass
es | tried these, without manure, sown
with oats, and failed ! sowed with rye,
and likewise failed then sowed alone,
on five acres, in November and reaped
an abundant crop. Last spring my grass
was small, but it came on well and in
July cut one ton per acre, as fine hay
as farmer ever saw. This hay is worth
$50 per ton, making my five acres, with
but little work, bring me just 800, or
$40 per acre. This is clear gain and
more than cotton will average, Besides
this past fall, turned in five head ofl
horses and six head Of cattle, and for two
months they kept "rolling fat and
now l have as fine sod as ever was seen
and l confidently expect, at least, twice
the yield this year Timothy and clover
do not come to perfection, in less than
three years. They should always be
sown togcther-one gallon Of clover
seed to two gallons timothy per acre.
My land has been in grain for Is years.
The best plan is, oats after cotton, not
corn. In September, plow under your
oats stubble, not deep, harrow smoothc,
and after the first rain, that makes the |
ground too wet to plow, SOW your seed
and let it remain on the top Of the ground,
turn no stock on it for one year, and you
will succeed with grass, Wet land will
not bring good clover In the bottom
lands SOW rs above and pasture until the
middle Of April and the grass will not
fall down, if not'pssturcd it will fall and
cannot be out.
In conclusion, let me say to my fellow
citizens, that the association now organ
lied is new enterprise in our county,
and like all infant undertakings, should
be carefully nourshed by us. 1t is not
organized for the benefit Of few, but
for the good of every man, woman and
child in our county. 1t is calculated es-
pccially to benefit the farmer, and yet a
large proportion Of the stock, thus far
subscribed, has been taken by the people
of the town of Van Buren,. This should
not be so. True, the town is benefited
if the county is. but farmers ought not
to allow the town to have the greatest
amount Of stock, when the association is
to be direct benefit to them, and only
an indirect one to the town. There are
1000 farmers in this county. II each
farmer takes one share, here is $3.50
Five per cent Of this, or Sl.25 from
each shareholder, would be money
enough to make provision for the grand
est fair ever yet seen in Arkansas. Its
effect would be infinitely beneficial to us
all, and Crawford would, in few years,
become the wealthiest county in the
State, and Nan'Buren would outstrip her
neighbor over the river with all her