The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-03-08
AGRICULTURAL.
AN IMPORTANT SUE
JECT.
Grasses in West Tennessee.
A Essay By Mr. Louis II Williams, Of
Hsst Tennessee, prepared for the Ten
nessse Stock Breeders Association.

n" Essay Oy Mr.. Louis II. HtttldniS, OF
Hsst Tennessee, prepared for the Ten
nessse Stock Breeders association
Gentlemen of the Stock Breeders as
ISOLATION Of Tennessee, having been re-
quested By your executive committee to
prepare an essay on the subject OF the
grasses adaLtcd to West Tennessee, and
sheir relative value to other crops, have,
with much reluctance, undertaken the
task; but upon the very Threshold
hnd myself confronted by an almost
impassabls barrier. When West Ten
Asssee was frat settled by immigrants
frsm Middle Tennessee, North Carolina
and Virginia, and its rich l,nds Thought
Into cultivation, it was declared to be a
natural province of the co ton kingdom,
and has ever remained u jeet to that
rule, until our quilted fields and scant
productions of every xii and the i'm
poveriahmsnt Of our people had demon
stratad the fatal alliance with the cotton
interest There have been but few land
they very limited enes) experiments 10
grass culture made est Of Tennessee
liver. There is scarcely a county in
West Tennessee that has not, even in
last few years, impoF ted hay, corn, -four
and bacon from the north While this
has been the case. however, thsrs have
been some farmers who have been Ia
boring to develop the natural resources
Of the country by experiments In grass
euIturs and stock breeding, aud by their
sxeFtions facts sufficient have been de-
Veleped 10 demons rate that West len
nsssse is capable Of producing = - fUe
grass as any other portion Of the coun-
try.
In speaking Of grass, v use the word
in its brosdsst sense, 10 inGluaC tie
elovers, millets, etc, as we'll as she
grasses proper. WhIlo some Of Tie
finer grasses, such as blue. grass, viii no,
sueceed here az we'll as they do else
where, there ore others shat fuG IL West
Tennessee soil their most genial home
and TO the greatest psrfectieu
Among the grasses that succeed ia
West Tennessee for hay max n We
have eli the varieties that succt cd il
either section north or south OF us, Of
which We Aight mention herd grrss or
red-tOP, timothy, red clover, the sarious
kinda Of millet, especially the German
millet, and other grasses which grow
spontaneous, such as crab grass, iox-tai
sto. Herd grass, upon bottom land in
the hill counties OF West Tennessee and
upon almost all kinds of lands IN the
river counties, succeeds remarkably
we'll, making very fine yields of exeele al
hay, and affords great deal Of grazing
when used as pastures
Timothy yields iargs crops o. hay on
good land in all parts Of Wcsr Pennes
see; but in Weakiey, Obion, DYER, Laa.
dsrdsle, Upton, Shelby sad .HardsIn an
can be relied on as enc OF tho mos
profitable crops that can BE- raised The
winter has gathered and seen Tsighod as
much "a three tons per acre, without ex'
ira preparation
Perhaps Of all the grasses the m0st
pro6yGble, however, is the red clover.
SoWn 90 our wheat in February, March
or fret Of April, it makes fair graziag in
the fall and early winter, and the mex;
year yislds profits either IN grazing Oh
Kay, and if cared for in seed, it ia une
gualled by any other crop. On all clay
lands il succeeds to an an extent uns
QuAlled 10 auy other section, frequently
attaining tour feet in Insight WheT
combined With other grasses, such a:
Timothy, herds-grass or orcharS-gr grass
il Yields more hay and q greater amoun
OF grazinR on clay lands here than il
any section known to the writer. Tn
red clover natures its seed well here
aud our farmers would find it greatly t.
their interest 20 save, not only their Owl
but seed for market
Grasses for grazing have succeeded bu
10 very limited extent in West Ter
nessse, from the fact that but littls e
fort has been made in the direction q
testing the various species. Some goo
gestures and grazing lots have been pro
cured by combining bluegrass, herds
grass, white and red clDver. There
much of our worn land that could b
easily, probably and quickly redeome
by blowing leVeling and putting it dow
with the above grasses combined.
While clover has never heen apprec
ated By any community that have eve
heard of to its full value. But shoul
our farmers ever closely examiae th
subject, they will fad it one of the be:
grasses for permanent pasture. It shout
always be combined With other grass 4
however.
AS to the relative value of grass an
hs product to other crops, thero is
little known, there having been so litt
attention paid to it, that it would /
very difficult to make az estimate. Til
experiment. of raising cotton, oven
Dyer, county, where the lands are bette
suited to hay making, corn and whea
sobacco and embarrassing, perhaps tia
almost any other couRt7 in the Stat
and purchasing corn and hay has bee
made by many farmers But [ q
happy to state that the day has past f,
that-as evidenced by the fact that w
Tennessee has furnished her local ma
kess the past year with good mutto
beef, pork, wheat aRd hay, aud has c
ported to Northern and Southern ma
kets considerable numbers of hogs al
cattle, also large quantities of wheat az
corn, and the amount of hay that is no
in the river counties has never be-
known before.
There is no greater evidence of (
improvement In the condition of
people than that presented by impFov
domestic animals generally, and we f,
that the general average of stock
West Tennessee has been largely q
yaneed in the last few years
Grass culture in West Tennessee
enc of the things Ia the near futui
shat must and will engage the atten ii
OF our farming community and viii pro
one ct the raost profitable crops th
can be raised, and its relative value v
be equal 10 cotton or any other pTodu
Of this ssetiOn.-Rlsral Sun
The peach crop in East Tennessee