Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1880-09-30
LRcerne.

As a-good many inquiries aaac
ing made st the Office OF the Com
missioner of Agriculture concerning
l@scerne grass, we reprint the follow
ing letter on the subject:
WINSsBoRo, S. c., 9Th Sept, 1880.
Mgm Harry Hammona, United
States Supervisor:
DEAR MAORI am in receipt of
your letter ofthe 4th inst, sndproceed,
a. requested, to give you an account
of my experience with lucerne in
Fairfield, South Carolina. l have a
lot containing one-half acre which
was a part Of an old WORKOUT field.
l planted it in corr for few years,
when nut grass became a great pest.
In order to kill the nut grass l had
it plowed FIVE times, quite shallow,
during July and August. In Sep
TENDER, 1873, it was well MANFRED
and then plowed with a two horssl
turning pillow, followed by a bull
tongue. The subsoil is a stiff red
clay. This red clay lies heal the
surface and was turned up so that the
LIT locked like purely red clay soil.
1t was then narrowed with a revolv.
ing harrow. l then, on 10Th Sep
TENDER, planted cbuer. 1t came up
we'll and gave me two coed cuttings
in 1874
In 1875 1 got one poor cutting,
the nut-grass having nearly choked
the clover out. On 7th September l
had the lot plowed with a turning
pillow, narrowed, and planted with
10 lbs. of lucerne seed broadcast. It
came up thick and so did the weeds;
so that in March, 1876, nothing was
visible except the weeds. I had the
lot cut close to the ground. and six
barrels Of gas lime (shell) spread up
on the surface. The lucerne grew
mp with some weeds. After the
next cutting the weeds disappeared,
and have never been able to contend
with the lucerne since; and the nut
grass is visible only scatteringly, so
that search is necessary to discover
that there is any. The lucerne gave
four good cuttings in 1876. the sum-
mer following the fall when planted.
| keep three horses and two cows. l
compared my hay bill from March to
October, both inclusive, OF 1875,
with the same expense for a like
period Of 1877, and I found it to be
$G4 greater. But l used only last
River" hay, which is costly. In
1878 l had ten cutting, averagings
over 3! feet each, the lucerne being
very thick. Each of these ten cut
tings off the half-acre would weigh
orcr' four thousand pounds $4,000
lbs.) In 1879 we had a drought
and the lucerne was cut only six
times.
This Summer we have had another
drought, and to this time l have had
only 70 r cuttings. I first, cut about
The middle Of March and stop early
in October. Eoch Summer I give
the whole LIT a heavy top dressing Of
stable manure following each days
cutting. with a dressing for the sur
face cut until the whole lot is ma
nured. The lucerne remains green
all the year, stands from six to eight
inches high during Winter.
No replanting is necessary. There
are plants in the garden here which
the old lady to whom the garden be-
longs has known as individual plants
for over fifty years. l never allow
any animal to Craze upon my %lucerne.
The half-acre affords green food sufi-
cient for my three horses and two
cows.
My success has induced some ten
or eleven citizens Of this town to
plant lucerne lots, all successfully.
As lucerne is not cotton, none Of the
planters of this County have at
tempted to raise %lucerne; and this
County imports large quantities of
hay an | baled fodder each year.
Very respectfully your obedient
servant, JAS. d. Ron.