The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-03-30
Forage and Hay for Florida
No. /.

From the Florida Union.
Almost every vessel that enters
our sea port-every train of cars run
ming to the interior of the State
every steamer navigating our rivers
and almost every piny woods cart
dragging slowly homeward through
the heavy sand, bears freight costing
Florida annually many thousands of
dollars, every cent of which might,
and should be kept within our own
borders.
This freight is Northern hay !-the
very sight of which, in our markets,
should be reproach to every tiller
of Southern soil, and especially to
every Florida farmer. For we have
it easily in our power to raise all the
forage and hay we need, not only tor
our own use on the farm, but also to
supply the wants of those living in
towns and cities, who are dependent
upon the farmer for their supplies of
horse, mule and COW provender.
And how to do this, we shall now at
tempt to show.
In the first place, the land in
tended for a green forage crop or
hay, must be made very rich by the
use of either stable man ure, guano,
superphosphate, or some of the spe-
cial fertilizers for grass or serials,
now upon the market. There is lit
tie danger of using too much manure
as most of our Florida soils are thin
and light, and all the grasses and
grain plants used for fodder and hay
are very greedy and exhausting
feeders. We only say, therefore,
use all the manure you can afford
only be sure that it is thoroughly
mixed and incorporated with the
soil, and not dropped ensndsse, in the
bottom of the furrow, as is too often
done, by thoughtless and experienced
cultivators. The best soil for the
cultivation OF forage plants-if you
have any choice-is good strong
sandy loan, with clay subsoil but
any land, except blowing sand, or
quagmire, may by proper tertilizing
draining, ETC., be made to produce
good and satisfactory crops. The
mechanical condition of the land is,
of course, very important; and to
obtain the highest and best results
your forage patch should be repeat
edly and deeply plowed and cross
plowed, narrowed as fine as possible,
aud then laid off in rows from three
to four feet apart, according to the
crop you desire to plant. These
rows should be perfectly straight,
the earth thrown out each way, by
running twice with light one horse
plow. The manure may then be
scattered literally in the turrow, and
worked in by running narrow
rooter or bull tongue plow through
i, ~ and down the drill from two
to four times. This preparation will
answer for corn, millet, COW peas,
doura, sorgho, imphee, teosinte, oats,
rye, barley, or any Of the smaller
forage crops, but must be varied a
little for guinea grass, para grass,
etc. a. we shall show.
CORN FORAGE.
Having your ground prepared as
above, Qaid off in straight rows three
feet apart), sow good sound yellow
corn in the drill, at the rate of about
thirty or forty grains to the running
foot, cover about an inch, and the
work of planting is done. When
your corn is three or four inches
high, run through the rows with a
cuItivator or horse hoe, and continue
this clean culture regularly until the
corn tassels. 1t may then be cut and
+ fed to all your working animals,
sprlnkling over it little coarse salt
occasionally; and should you have
more than you need, as green forage,
it can easily be cured and used after.
wards as dry fodder. The object of
sowing thirty or forty grains TO the
running foot in the drill, is to crowd
the stalks SO they will grow small
and grass like, and thus be more
readily handled and cured. 1--WE
will give special chapter ON curing
coarse forage hereatter.) We do
not like TO say how many tons of this
z green corn forage can be raised ON
! an acre of thoroughly prepared and