The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-09-15

growers. No matter how many or
ange trees one may have out, grow
| ing or even bearing, cannot but
consider him improvident if that is
his only source of livelihood. A
freeze like that of '35 is possible dur
inc any winter season, disease may
attack his trees and render them at
least temporarily non-productive. The
middle men or spectators - the
standing curse of the producer-may
so combine as to reduce his profits to
a minimum. He has all his eggs in
one basket, and under any or all of
| these alternatives finds himself in a
bad way. The provident man on
! the. other hand will be able to live
and live well, for he has had at his
command corn, meat, milk and honey,
but to have secured them he must
have gone back to the first principle
and produced the grasses from which
these others are derived.
We complain OF high freight, and
yet the blame is not altogether with
the carriers. We choke up the
avenues Transportation by demand
ing the carriage Of such bulky mat
tiers as pork, corn and hay, whereas
by raising our grass, we would save
to ourselves not only the immediate
costs in freight, but the room taken
up would be available to us for our
smaller and imperatively necessary
treights. We must, to as great an
extent as possible, be self sustaining,
else, no matter what heights of sue
cess we may attain in fruit growing
alone, comparative failure as TO gen
eral results will be our lot. Raising
as we should, however, amongst our
selves all of the staples needed for
home consumption, excepting per-
haps wheat, every orange shipped
would represent so much spare capi-
4 tai, to he used in the adornment OF
sII.ons homes, the. education Of our
children and the gathering about us
the re6nements OF the advanced civili-
zation of the day.
Do not accuse me of straying from
the matter in hand, tor all these
things resolve themselves back to our
one starting point, grass.
1t is an axiom i'll farming lore that
every region fit for agricultural pur-
suits has within its limits all the ele.
ments of success. Leaving then the
clovers tor future experiment, l ask
your attention TO the consideration
of the three prominent grasses known
iand indigenous to many parts of the
South, UiG Indian clover, commonly
known as beggar or bigger lice, Ber-
muda grass, and crab grass. These
are the natural growth of our soil
and climate, and as such has been, to
greater or less extent, overlooked.
In regard to the first l quote from
J. NJ Stokes, of Madison, Fla:
"Much has been said and written
on the subject OF pasturage in our
southern latitudes, and am conf
dent that no subject is more deserv.
ing OF our attention than this. But
while much has been said, but little
has been accomplished, Our failures
arise from two causes. First, we
have overlooked the natural growth
Of our own soil and climate, which a
wise and mercitul God gave US for
this purpose, and sent hither and
thither tor various grasses, clover,
etc., which find little or no congeni-
ality; and secondly, we have not
been sufficiently aware of the value of
good pasturage, to give proper atten-
ton TO the varieties thai have been
introduced. 1t a rule with but few
exceptions that it is unnecessary 10
90 ten or twelve thousand miles
after manure to put in the land to
make it produce, and it. is equally as
unwise TO send a great distance for
: the elements of a good pasture.
We have in FLORIDA the best
clover in the world, and / am quite
sure that it will flourish in all Sec
tions too tar South for the red, alsike
and other varieties. 1t is known
here by the name OF beggar lice. but
unless better name is suggested |
shall insist upon its being called
Indian clover, it begins to come up
with the earliest vegetation, and con-
tinues to come until frost prevents
it. A field of corn laid by the lst Of
Auoust. will have q crop OF it, as