The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-11-21
abe Farm.
from the southern Home.
Stock Raising il the South.

lIA1l1 u - 80
opinion, but in practice there IS no
stock farm established IN this sec
ton. As a general rule, it has
never been made Il success IN any
section which is not adapted to
grasses. Nh. \. b. Davidson did,
before the war, raise some fine
Durham cattle, which, owing to
the high prices obtained, made the
business as successful, as all other
branches of h%rsbandry undertaken
bv him. DR.. Holt, Of Lexington,
who was an amateur farmer, tried
stock raising, including sheep,
with the short horn Devon cattle,
though he succeeded IN raising
them equal to the finest IN the
Blue Grass regions, yet the profits
did not cover the expenses. In
Texas where the winters are mild
the grasses grow wild, and are
never killed except by severe
droughts, which occasionally occur.
Cattle raising is the most profitable
business of that country. | have
advanced the opinion that the most
profitable system of farming IN this
section, is to raise the bread, meat
and other supplies, required to
sustain the operative expenses, as.d
then cultivate us much cotton us
can be done rs Il money consldera-
ton. believing but little could be
made out o. anything else, except
occasionally rs Il chance of selling
offered. But as stock raising
might be made profitable 10y the
introduction of grasses suited to
Il climate and soil, | will here
append the remarks of IL. L. Hill
in the Southern CultiratOr, In re-
gard to the Bermuda grass IN Geor-
gia, which is known here as the
Cain Grass, indigenous to Il soil
THE Bermuda will afford the
best past1rage for summer grazing
from early May to October or No
vember. Immediately upon It's
ceasing to furnish pasturage, the
orchard and tall meadow oat grass
come to It's relief, atfording equally
us good winter pastura9e as the
Bermuda did summer. The two
will afford pasturage the year
round. and it Will only be necessary
to feed stock during the excessive
wet and cold weather. | have
thoroughly tested the orchard grass
and it has proved a success, is
adapted to all kind of lands, will
grow ever upon poorer lands than
crab grass, keeps green during Win
ter, furnishes excellent winter
grazing. and is much relished by
all kinds of stock. 1t is Il peren-
NAL grass, and when one set out
is as much a fixture as Bermuda.
1t will stand our summer droughts
much better than clover.
For saving hay, select a piece OF
smooth land, n it properly,
and it will furnish two OIL three
cuttings a season, owing to season
and style of land.
Mark my prediction, that the
Bermuda lands will then rank with
the grass lands of kentucky and
Tennessee. | know full well that
there are parties who have been
sick and sore Juggling at Bermuda
to make cotton, and remark, as |
have frequently head, "as for
YOU, you are welcome to all the
Bermuda
Aside from its advantages as a
pasture grass, Bermuda improves
the land, both in furnishing vegeta-
bic matter and preventing It's wash
ing. One other reason why this
grass has not been properly appre-
ciated for grazing purposes Is, that
parties who own the lands and have
used it have not had winter graz
ing, and have suffered their stock
to shift for themselves as best they
can until spring, when the few that
succeed in keeping alive are so
dead poor that it takes all the fol
owing summer to get In living or
der again. The contrast is too
great to be endured. It's very
much like stock of any kind that
have been stall fed or pampered.
If left to shift for themselves they
Don pine away and die.
In addition to these remarks, OF
rather c~ontirmatory of them, l will
make a few remarks for which |
am indebted to the circular ques-
tions found In the Home Journal.
one of the best agricultural papers
in the South. 1t is easily propa-
gated, is perfectly hardy, Will
flourish almost nnder any clrcnm.