The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-06-17

necessary Is to SOW bone dust, supper.
phosphates or other concentrated fertiliz-
err b~etween..the rows, and then stir it into
the soil by this use Of n whecl-hoe In
the. ground Of Mr.. Bronson, of st.
Augustine, Florida, he found that the
seed Sowm in the middle Of October gave
him II crop fit to cut in three months af-
ter sowing, and three heavy crops dur
ing the same year and ! have little
doubt that in that climate and. so con
genial to its growth, six heavy green
crops could be cut annually, after the
plant is fairly established, il n moderate
amount Of fertilizer was used, say 500
pounds Of supcrphosphate Of bone to the
acre. Mr.. William Crozicr, Of North
port, T.. l., one Of the best known farm
crS and stock breeders in the vicinity Of
New York, says that he has long con-
sidercd alfalfa one Of the best forage
crops. He uses it always to feed his
milch cows and breeding ewes, particu-
larly in preparing them for exhibition ut
fairs. where he is known to be II most
successful competitor, and always takes
along sufficient alfalfa hay to feed them
on while there. Mr.. Crozirr's system
Of culture is broadcast, and he uses
some fifteen or sixteen pounds Of seed
to the acre, but his lam'l is unusually
clean and in n high state Of cultivation.
which enables him to adopt the broad
cast plan but on the average land it will
he found that the plan Of sowing drills
would be the best
Mr.. Crozicr's crop, the second year,
averaged eighteen Tons green to the a:ic
and about six tons when dried as hay.
For his scction-thc latitude Of Nav
iork-he finds the best date Of sowing
is the first week in May, and good cut
ting can be had in September, The rex.
season n full crop is obtained, when it is
cut if green, three or four times. If to
DC used for hay, it is cut in the ccndi-
ton Of ordinary red clover in blo>< I'm .
it then makes after that two green crops,
if cut sometimes the last one, instead
Of being cut, is fed on the ground by
sheep or cattle.
Mr.. f. NJ. Sargent: Macon. Ga, writ
ing to me- under date, March 9Th, 1893.
says: Il consider alfalfa t" lie the mos:
valuable forage plant that can be used
in this ~Srctinn nf tho c,un+rr .I,t :,
the entire cotton belt, or north Of tit
the land is sandy without clay suascil
too near the surface. Planters are JUS,
beginning to find out IS merits. nal no
poverty Of stock will ever occur where
alfalfa is raised. In the summer Of 1881,
when everything else was parch.d hrr.
with heat and drought, this a:un. was
prompt in it's maturity for the mower,
1t should he cut for hay when in jla.-
SON, and can easily be cut three CT fru.
times here, wherever the land is in r;ir
~ good condition.
''ThOsc who dO not succeed with =,
SOW it broadcast and surrender j.: - ..c
hogs early in the season. ThoS" wi,c
do succeed SOW in drills, eighteen inch".
apart and cultivate carly"
1t will be seen that Mr.. Sargent 1;t
viSeS drills much wider than We recon
mend, which | presume is to admit the
horseshoe, but Il quicker crop undonbt-
eddy would be got ut fourteen inches
apart, and by the use Of the hand wheel.
hoe, the work could be done on liyhl
soil nearly ms Lu ckly as by horse cult
vatOr.
Alfalfa is extensively grown in In.
rope, particularly in France and Ger
many, where it is considered q valuabi.
crop for rotation. and is classcd ty the
French rs one Of the Pilates Il mcli.
o'"ntes restorative crops); for in
southern France wheat has been sue.
ccssfully raised after six or seven year.
Of alfalfa on ground which formerly had
failed to give good crops Of wheat. Al.
though alfalfa may be grown in cold
''tituicS w. VIII rs III "NTil. ~ INC D!an1
is entirely hardy, yet its value : not 81
marked in cold climates, where it find.
competitors in red clover and the grass.
es, but i" light OF :, un, where, particu.
larly in warm climates, its dccp-roaotin,!
properties make it comparatively indie.
pendent Of moisture hence it il tn,
forage pl, mt par excellence for tho
Southern States Il; and when it liz consid.
cred that Immense sums arc paid anu.
ally for baled hay. by the Southern tr
the Northern States. not only for tho
hny itself, bnt to freight it, the wondc,
is how long they will continue % do so
with the material at hand to produce n
better article at probably one-fourth tho
cost.-I'eter Henderson, ia Hop Mt
Farm Pays.
Brains and Energy.