The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1875-07-01
Grass Growing in the South.
From the Journal Of Agricultural


Grass Growing in the South.
From the Journal Of Agricultural @
We have recently noticed in
some of our Southern exchanges,
references to, and extracts, from,
a work lately published,-How
ards grasses and Forage Plants
for the South. While we have
not had the pleasure of reading
or even seeing the book, we are
satisfied from what we have learn
ed regarding it, that it supplies
an important place in books rela-
lating to Southern agriculture
and should find a place in the Ii
brary of every Southern planter.
| To the farmer, the cheapest and
most useful OF all things is grass
if we may except sunshine and
rain. It grows every where, re-
quires less cultivation than any
other crop, and to-day it's value in
the United States exceed that of
cotton by at least $4,000, 900.
And yet planters persist in the
belief (and acting upon it, that
Cotton is King! It.. is regarded
as the friend in all portions of the
South, while grass is persistently
fought aud destroyed as an enc.
my. This too, in spite of a fact
we'll known in many sections of
the South, that while cotton-plan,
tations have everywhere decreas-
. ed in value, those devoted to
pasture and stock have as gener-
ally augmented in price and fertil-
ity. MIR. Howard says that if we
take a map of the United States
and put the finger upon those
sections where agricultural lands
command the highest and readiest
prices, we shall always find our
selves pointing to those districts
where the greatestattention ispaid
to grasses and forage plants. This
is notably true, even in the South
ern States; g. g. the 'sblue- grass
regions" of Central KY, parts of
Middle Tenn, and the tsPan Han
/ die" districts Of West Va. In the
last and first, we have seen farms
which have been in cultivation
overhaul a century, which to-day
are more fertile than ever and are
worth at least 800 per acre.
fThe whole secret of their present
productiveness and vale is attrib.
utable to rotation, grasses and
selling.
Mr.. Howard plainly demon.
strates in what manner a planta
ton is improved in value BY put.
ting the greater part of it in grass
instead OF cotton and corn. He
compares a grass farm with an
], investment in banking, or other
secure stock, which is always
bringing profit to its owner, even
while his labor and attention are
given to something else. He
states as an anxiom that s.proper-
ty is valuable in proportion to its
security and the trouble of manag-
ling it.o To largely cultivate eth.
er cotton or corn, the farmer must
have hands at the rate of one to
every eight or ten acres, if cotton,
or to every twenty acres for corn :
he must buy mules, corn, hay,
bacon, plows, cnltivators, hoes,
ang pay smith bills. IF at the
end of the year over run sales,
the farm has been an actual loss.
II there has been small profit.
then it has been of a little actual
value. Suppose the land is put
! in grass; the work then done,
with a little attention, will last for
years, and much that is taken
from the ground is given back to
it by the sailing process. The
only labor required is in time OF
harvest, cutting, curing and bail
ling being the only actual expen.
ses. On a grass farm of: 100
lacres, save the harvest time, two
hands are ample for steady EN-.
lployment:' on cotton plantation,
Item or twelve would be required.
The former will average a hand
some return with labor the latter,
a small return after much labor.
This change Of system, were it
generally adapted in the South
would give the advantage of &c
lection among that class Of labor
which is the most valuable, and
character would become valuable.
(which it il not now while the
Equality of labor would be greatly
improved. But the most import
liant, point gained is to be vel