The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-02-22
FARM AND HOME.

4
j. Hill makes the following instructive
statements IN the Southern Dultivator.:
Select the much-abusedb bermuda land,
a portion OF which is well aet In Der
muda; SOW down equal portions in
orchard and tall meadow oat grasses, and
make general stock farm of the same,
selecting good, tested and acclimated
stock. Ienore cotton--make only corn,
wheat, loats, barley, hay, potatoes, tur-
nips, ETC., such products as are necessary
for the sustenance of stock. The Ber~
muda will afford the bestsof pasturage
for summer grazing, from early May to
October or November. Immediately
upon its ceasing to furnish pasturage,
the orchard and tall meadow grass com
to its relief, afording equally as good
winter pasture as the Bermuda did sum-
mer. The two will afford pasturage the
year round, and it will only be necessary
to feed stock during The excessive wet
and cold weather. 7 have thoroughly
tested the orchard grass, and it has
proved a success, is adapted to all kinds
of lands, will grow even upon poorer
lands than crab grass, keeps green during
winter, furnishes excellent winter graz
ing and is much relished by all kinds of
stock Tits a perennial grass, and when
once set is as much fixture as the Ber-
muda. 1t will stand tour summer
droughts much better than clover. To
show what limited amount sof soil and
moisture ii takes to support it, there are
several punches growing in my chimney,
perfectly green and luxuriant, this the
4th of July, and to all appearance, the
place where 1t is growing is devoid OF
moisture. There is no other grass better
adapted to orchards and back yards,
whether shaded or not, as it thrives any
where.
For saving for hay, select piece of
smooth land, manure it properly, and it
will furnish from two to three cuttings
season, owing to season and style of land.
Should the above plan prove success,
our mnch-abused Bermuda lands will be
the lands sought alter, and will be in
finitely the most valuable lands we have.
Mark my prediction, that the Bermuda
lands will then rank with the grass lands
of Kentucky and Tennessee. I know
Iull well that there are parties who have
been made sick and sore Juggling at Ber
muda to make cotton, and remark, as i |
have frequently heard, "as for you, you
are welcome to all the Bermuda"
Aside from its advantages as pasture
grass, Bermuda improves the land, both /
diminishing vegetable matter and pre-
venting its washing. One other reason
why this grass has not been properly
appreciated for grazing purposes is, that
parties who own the lands and have used
it have not had winter grazing, and have
suffered their stock to shift for them
selves as best they can until spring, when
the few that succeed in keeping alive
are 80 dead poor that it takes all the fol-
lowing summer to get in living order
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. Ifleit toshiit for themselves
they soon pine away and die.
UnimprOyed Agriculture. - A \
South Carolina farmer writes to the
Southern Cultiyator:
Whilst the English farmer by the
application OF scientific principles and
the aid l0f mechanical art has annually
increased his crops, enriched his land and
improved his stock, we, by our system
of cultivation and management mot the
system OF labor), have extended the
broomsedge fields, widened the red gull
lies, swept away the noble forest and
only increased the annualcrop by lacking
on anadditiOnal acre ito Cufiee's task, or
putting to task an additional lCuffee.
Can ii be doubted that this Disastrous
policy is susceptible of vast improve
menta Yet, how many young and in
telligent planters are to-day pursuing
the identical routine practiced by their
oyerseer twenty-five years ago, and
scratching the soil with the same tools
which theiroId greyheaded Blacksmith