The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1883-02-21

| IOlduu-OHlua OF BERKSHIRE boar. Blu
the best profit and the most successful
way is to have lot or field into which
the sows can be put before the time {.
narrowing, and then build some chear
sheds to protect them from rain antc
cold; and when the pigs can eat fee6
them well until they are weaned, anG
then tnrn on pasture of good grass
My experience also teaches me thai
during July, August and September are
the month that hogs need most feed.
and if this spell can be tided over they
do well on the range
The cheapest feed for the summer is q
crop of oats barley or rye, upon which
they can be turned, and when they have
eaten up these have crop of early peas
to turn on, and then later crop of peas.
and hogs will then be ready to 60 en-
corn for a final finishing off. By this
means pork can be cheaply made and
with but little trouble, and at the same
time it will improve the land. A late
crop OF peas can be planted where the
oats and barley grew.
l see no reason why a twelve months
pig cannot be made to net $50 pounds
OF pork. This, at present prices in the
South, is worth 1926 each, or as much as
q three year old steer, or as much as a
bale of cotton will net.
From all I can learn of yellow clover,
l am led to believe it will be a great
thing for stock as it grows all winter and
dies out in the spring, to come again
next fall. This will fill a long felt want,
and will be of great advantage to the
stock raiser, as it will give him a good
winter pasture for sheep and calves. [
have seen an article in paper saying
that there was q species of vetch grow
ing on the coast of South Carolina,
Georgia and Florida that grew all winter
and made fiue winter pasture If any
one knows of this will they please writs
me what they know Of it
[ am more than ever convinced that
cotton seed is good and cheap food for
sheep during winter, and L am satisfied
that with one acre OF rye barley, wheat
or oats for every four sheep, TO- give
them bite of green food, that they will
do well and have plenty milk to raise
good lamb.
And | am more than ever convinced
that the Southern stock raiser loses more
than one~half his profits by sending his
stock to market in thin order, and q
farmer who understands how to handle
stock can purchase these as they are
being sent to market, aud winter them
on cotton seed and hay, and make more
money on steer or sheep in four months
than the man who raised them will in
two or three years.
For Instance, three year-Old steers are
frnf1nrolIx H. g.. --l.-
about 800 to loco pounds. Now, if |
thls steer vas ted during the winter on
cotton seed and nay he would put on |
about 800 pounds of fat at cost Of /
about Sc, Hewould then be worth S65, |
or nearly three times as much fat as he
was when in thin order, and the same
will hold good in regard to sheep or
hogs.
JOHNSON GRASS.
AS I have had this grass on my farm |
for thirty years I will tell your readers !
what I know of 1t. For long time I |
supposed it was useless as hay or graz
ing grass, and during the time that |
hundreds of tons of hay we're rotting in
the field I was spending money and time
Ill UuY1uS OOOA w manu- AuJ nay
IT'S true that during this time I would
cut load each evening and haul it to
the stable lot, when the mules would eat
it all. But still I supposed it was worth
less, as all said it was, and | believed Z
so. But now know it to be a good hay. |
AS to its grazing qualities I have my |
doubts if it will stand hard grazing. I
had ten acres of it in field that was |
so thick I could not cultivate it. So I |
turned it out three years ago, and I |
never saw it growing after first year.
This year I have had it in cotton and |
have had no trouble with it. see still |
a few punches that grew in brier patch. |
MY opinion is, that if it is kept as a
grazing grass that stock will have TO be
taken off as soon as it is eaten down to |
the ground hard grazing will kill it in !!
three years. It will stand any quantity /
of overflow and live. So will Bermuda. |
So far as can judge the hay is good,
and stock eat it as well as any hay and |
there is so much sugar in it that it can
be easily tasted when chewing the hay.
With this hay and cotton seed cattle |
and sheep can be raised as cheaply in |
the South as any country, and at one-
half the cost of raising in the North. |
But it will be long time before the
cotton planter will learn how to care for
sto ,k-that is If they are like all L have
seen. They seem to think that a horse |
can be ridden all day and turned out on |
the grass at night to got his feed. Cur.
rying is with them a piece of useless
foolishness, and it will require good
long tuition to learn them that it will pay
them to feed corn to hogs or cattle at a
profit.
Not long since 1 took dinner with a
gentleman who is the most successful
planter I know of, and he had spare ribs
for dinner. One of his guests was try
ing to convince him that every pound of
pork that he raised cost him 30 cents,