Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-02-27
FARM AND GARDEN.
THE GRAND PROBLEM IN AGRI.
CULTURE

THE GRAND PROBLEM IN AGRI.
CULTURE.
The BoIicdr Bulletin of the 18th in
slant contains an earnest appeal to the
farmers of Hardeman county to con-
slider the grand problem" of wearing
out the soil of Tennessee, which, from
marks not likely to mislead, we credit
to the able pen of H. M. Pope, Esq, Of
that county. He asks: Reader, viii
you lend your aid and give your ex-
ample in behalf Of the restoration of
our exhausted soil?" Admitting the
reader is willing to do this good thing,
in what way shall his example" be
presented to the public for general in
struction and commentator? The
writer In the Bulletin does not discuss
this part of his theme, but we WILL and
in doing so cite the statement of a
Tennessee farmer in the RUrdl Sun,
who says he has a meadow that has pro-
duced good crop of hay every yearfor
forty-six years. tits in herds grass and
timothy, and always had more or less
clover, and is as good now as it ever
was" He adds: Il repeat, in my
opinion, there is no excuse for any far
mer in Tennessee being without perms-
nent meadows to supply him all the hay
he needs, and surplus to sell if he de-
sires to do so"
This writer regards it as ga disgrace
and shame" that thousands of tons of
hay growing in States less adapted to
grass than Tennessee should be annu-
ally imported to supply our home de-
mand." Now is the time of year to
remedy this defect in our farm economy
and husbandry. All kinds of grass
seed and clover-seed may now be sown.
But how shall the ground be prepared
for the seed ? How many men have
sown clover seed on wheat, rye, barley
and oats, on the first of March, or
earlier and had good stand? A catch
of grass seed is quite as sure on fair
land, with an average summer, inclu-
ding spring and autumn. Farmers who
make a speciality of meadows and pas
lures SOW nothing but grass and clover
seeds on ground if new and full of roots,
thoroughly narrowed, if old plOwed and
narrowed before seeding. What are
called Hungarian grass" and ''millet"
are no more grass than they are corn
or wheat. When you get an heritage
plant like herdsgrass, Oatgrass, fescue,
timothy, foxtail, or orchard grass that
will live at the root twenty or more
years, you have grass that is a true
grass" and something worth having.
Sedge, however, may trouble you, as 1t
has the writer, both II Tennessee and
Georgia. When it first comes In pas
ture or meadow, pull it up by hand in
n wet time before it forms any seed; or
failing to do this, dig it up with hoe.
a little strong stable manure, with
grass seed mixed in with it, kills the
sedge and plants the grass seed III its
place A bushel and a half of clean
herds grass will seed an acre for mead
Ow or pasture. This grass does best on
low or rather moist land, that may
often be found on the side Of a noun
tain or hill.
A bushel of herdsgrass, a gallon of
tymothy and the same of clover seed
generally seed an acre for the writer.
To make a decent meadow of orchard
grass, the seed must be sown very thick
to prevent tussucks or punches. Two
bushels Will give satisfactory result;
or, what is better, peck of good tim
othy and bushel of orchard grass seed
TO the acre. The true farmer way is to
raise ones seed, and always have it
clean, fresh and plenty of It. Grass
seed is immensely better than gold
coin, which cannot possibly grow
in weight or value, having no life;
whereas, one grass seed viii soon pro-
duce thousand, and they a million.
The art of evolving speedily and cheap
ly a million valuable plants from one,
covers the whole ground of improving
the soil, and making its owner rich if
he spends no part of his income fool
ishly. 1t is plainly increase that gives
wealth by agriculture No other plant
equals grass IN the number of stems,
leaves and seeds it will yield from one
root in twenty years; and apparently
because it feeds horses, mules, COWS,
oxen, sheep, goats and hogs cheaper
than anything else that grows on the
plantation, planters fight grass as their
greatest enemy, and let their naked
soil wash away for the want of it,
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