The Dawson journal., 1883-03-01

stroy the bed OF the land, until it
has become dry. As a usual thing
this land is left out, and the farm
er moves on to fields newer and
pastures greener.. That land is
allowed to wash, the substance
drawing gradually from it. Why
not redeem it? It has been aban-
doned anyhow. Now, suppose
that land had a few roots of Ber-
muda placed on it. It spreads,
and rapidly. The grass growing
SO firmly holds the soil on the
land, the tops decay and form the
manure and by the time newer
fields are worn out this old
abandoned plat is again ready for
tillage. Here is abandoned land
saved to the owner at no cost. You
see, then, that Bermuda grass is
both an enricher and q perserver."
"Have you ever seen any illus
tration of this, Mr.. Hart?" / pur-
sued. fFFI fY(1
| "Yes," he responded, ''1 remem-
Der the time %heu many of the
farms now in cultivation around
your own city of Greensboro were
nothing but clay banks. The far
mer had abandoned them as use
less years before, and the Bermu-
da grass entered as theft. 1t
started slowly, and while the far
mer had long since forgotten the
land as belonging to the dead
past, this grass was surely redeem
ing the soil. A little bunch would
spread out, decay, and fall; its
roots would run on and straits
agai1i, enriching and re-enriching,
holding the decayed vegetable
matter, to the land and forming
gradually substance. There was
the grass plowed nnder and the
redclay banks bore again"
"You have tried it yourself?"
|
eyes, as J. was.telling a few min
utes ago, 1 would rather do with
out almost anything than Bermu-
da grass. I can't tell you how
much beheft it has b8en to me. I
have used it as an enricher and
preserver to redeem my wornout
land; I have grazed my stock on
it, saving an immense amount for
food, and l have cut it and stored
it for hay"
THE SOUTHERN FORAGE.
"You said it was fine stock
food. Tell me what are its merits
in this respect"
Bermuda grass is a good for
age and makes a spendid hay,
when properly cured. In the win
ter time it furnishes nusriment
from it's roots, which are tender
and sweet. Cows, hogs and horses
will, if turned out on a field of
this grass, live well, subsisting
entirely on the roots. [ have ira
veled through the blue grass re-
gions of Kentucky and think this
grass is fully up to that boasted
forage. And the beauty of it is
that it costs but little. AS I have
said before the grass can be used
to redeem worn out lands. Sup
pose now this refuse land of each
year was made pasture. Stock
| could be raised, subsistiug entire
ly on the grass. This is an invest
ment that would reap rich results.
The stock, you see, with their
droppings would enrich still more
the land on which they grazed,
and the Bermuda grass in addi-
ton to aiding materially in that
way, could be sold in the fall as
hay"
/ "Wouldn't the cattle keep it
graz6d so low it wouldn't grow t6
any height?"
"No, indeed. 1 believe that one
acre of ground viii Craze six head
of cattle and then grow to height
sufficient for hay. This hay could
be stored away for future feed, or
even sold. There is market right
here at home for it. | knew of
one farmer in This county, Mr..
Conner Vincent, who has sold a
great amount of hay this fall and
gets $1.25 bale for it. The gath
ering and curing don't cost him
fifty cents per bale, leaving HIM a
clear profit of seventy-fve cents
per bale"
, "This Bermuda hay, does it moi