The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-03-28
Revolution in southern Agriculture.

Revolution in Southern Agriculture
The Turf Field snd Farm, of New
Yak, conducted bF 3 cosmopolitan. I
makes the following suggestions 70 4
southern farmers:
Your whole system Of agriculture /
has been revolutionized- In the ante 4
bellum DAYS yOu hsd at your disposal /
the best possible labor. because II Was /
amensbIe to discipline, and, Ike reg I
uIar army. ever ready 10 obey the Or j
ders Of the commander-in-chlef- 4ou 4
have new lost by the srbItrament OF The /
sword. the control OF the forces which /
made your broad fields langh with an 4
nu2l harvests, and now yo1 ind your I
selves hurdened With an enormous m 4
productive landed property, whieo- 20
more heavily taxed than when Il nIied 4
vour store houses, and garRarles, and I
barns. and furnished nine-tenths OF the
foreign exchanges Of the whole union {
What, under these circumstance are
Won to dos Your labor IS compare
lively worthless. and your land without
labor must inevitably, sooner or late
come under the hammer OF the sherln-
We fancy the solution Of the problem
Is 10 be found II one word, and that IS
grass
Get YOUR fields IN sod, and pasture
mon them every grazing animal that
has money value Depend less upon
the pIoE and the still more expensive
hea- auI have recourse TO the mower.
II Won have not the capital IN labor,
horses. implements and maOlrc-nat-
rral snd artlficial-to get your land II
grass u the speediest way, be not I'M
uatieut or discouraged. have recourse
/ 10 sheep: n tine the very poorest land
{ vii pat on a good sod OF nutritious
grasses under the fructifylng tread OF
a iock Of sheep. Is may be objected
that negroes and vagrant ours viii PIE
/ vent sheep breeding n the sQ1sh-
T1I~ 0bJvctiozs has some weight. If-.s-s
not insuperabie. On the contrary, We
nav pluck safety from this danger,
and be compelled 70 fold orr sheep, a
part OF their management too often
omitted, but which should never be
neglected under any circumstances
By means OF the fold you effectually
protect your foeks from night-prowi
ing dogs Snd their masters and the
brler patches and CALLED spots n your
fields VIII soon be cleaned OF en-
ricbed by their trauping and their
droppings.
Again. It nav , e objected that but
a small portian OF the cleared lands OF
the south are adapted 20 grass, and
some OF them not even TO clover. To
csr.aIA extent this Is tine, but the fact
Is that southern planters. absorbed II
the cultivation Of tobacco. cotton a. u
sugar. have never given sufficient
thought 20 other agricultural products
quite as indispensable n their way as
the three above named staples IN the
balmy DAYS Of cotton culture n Ms sis
sippi the planter who raised his Own
bread and meat was the exception. Most
OF them were corn buyers, and none o.
them raised PORK. Most OF them had
cotton on the brain, aud they al dreaded
grass SIS they woULd cholera, the boil
worm and caterpillar.
Under the new dispsnsztson yOu must
OF necessity give more attention to
other possible farm products, s. chief
among these are grass and other forSge
plants 1t Is generally believed that
except on stiff CLAWS grass cannot be
grown with profit on the tide-Eater
lands Of the southern states but has It
( ever bean ATTEMPTED Until the az
tempt Is made AMI fails we must refuse
% subscribe 10 the general belief.
Where Is the grass which makes 3 finer
OF closer sod than the Bermuda, grow
ing IN many house yards n Mississippi,
always green and growing Ln0er the
hottest sunlight and heaviest trSLnplIng?
Who has tsled the new grass called
japan clover, which has appeared II
some Of the cotton states since the var +:
Who among the southern planters have
tried the miraculous poser OF gypsum
N growing clover and grass Admit
ting that red clover VIII not stand the
prolonged heat OF a southern summer.
there Is 4 plant Of the SAM family, and
= far nobler one. which villa plant
& which furnishes IN perennial rertir1rsa On
the bleak mountains OF Auvergue IN
a. RE-@ls<sa--a-
Nile. under the ferTid sun Il Eyvpi
This Is the n3sdteGgo s1liuI, the lucerne
Of Europe. and the alfalfa OF CalIfor
mis- and South America But southern
farmers a. q planters neglected THIS, the
most valuable OF al the forage plants,
because N the days = slav ~ they
could think u nothing but tobacco OF
cotton; and they neglect II now, and
are deferred from its cultivation. under
the erroneous impression that i must
be drilled aSd cultivated with the hoe.
The traveller between Alexandria and
Cairo and Suez. IN Egypt, VIII see thou
sands OF acres knee-Geep n lucerns
, which Was never put n with the drill OF
Iuched Eith the hoe. Why should be
not see the same IN our southern states
In conclusion, we viii say purchssg
nothing you can do without make yoGl
! own bread and meat, and TO do this sue
cessfully YOU must grow grass.