The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-04-02
Our Giles County Letter.

inhabitants. On July 81 we had
our last rain, and then set in 5
drought OF unprecedented severity.
BY Sept. L pastures were exhaus-
ted, and stock had to be fed with
dry feod from that date to this
more than six months. This con
tlnuous feeding has exhausted the
best stock farms of provender, and
the improvident have had none for
months. We are yet in the midst
OF hay famine, with two months
of feeding before us; pastures are
not sufficient 10 keep stock till May
10 and then much of the clover is
frozen out and the ground will be
planted to corn. Much of the stock
are already poor and i'll able to
work. In this regard we are in
worse condition to make 3 crop
than We have been in for years.
Fully one third of the wheat crop
sown is frozen out, and the land is
being sown to oats; and could the
seed be bought, more than half the
wheat land would be devoted to
that crop. The supply of seed oats
was light, but we bought them as
long as they could be had at Nash
vile at 75c. Last summer oats
went begging at 25c. Many farm
ers sold at these figures that are
now paying the former price. Now
this is all wrong. If this locality
is especially adapted to any thing,
it is to hay and oats. L am sure
that from two to four tons of clov-
er-hay can be grown on every acre
of this black limestone land, and l
have seen on ordinary land sixty
bushels of oats claimed. l believe
this amount can be produced. If
this is correct, it is only misman-
agement that causes this hay fam
inc. Nor is this much of an excep-
tional year as to scarcity of hay
in the heart of this splendid clover
section. I have not seen year in
which buyers would not come to
the clover rick and pay SIS per ton |
and often $40, making an acre pay |
from 1926 to $50 in shay, besides
seed-crop and incidental grazing,
worth say So to $40 per acre. Then
brother farmers, Why not raise clo-
ver-hay at a profit of from $50 to
800 per acre? By this 1 ,mean
good clover, well cared for. Moth
ing else will pay so well. Then the
pleasure Of having fat, well-kept
stock is to ne the greatest pleas
lre of farming. 1t always makes
me feel bad to see poor, half-fed
stock, and l have seldom seen a
happy man astride a poor horse.
To get out of this unhappy situa-
lion, let every farmer SOW q field or
TWO of clover to now, and by all
means SOW 40 lbs. Of plaster to
.he acre on it. Then take care of it.
| began this letter with the in
.ention of saying something about
stock, farming, etc, but ] got on to
ny pet hobby-clover. Excuse
5he depression. Giles is doing
much to improve her stock. She
las no less than q dozen. small
nerds of pure Jerseys, one herd of
9ure Holsteins, and several herds of
Shorthorns are scattered over the
,ounty. We have two imported
Normans and one Clydesdale horse,
and more pacing horses than any
)ther county in the state-Hardees,
Tom Halls, Prince Pulaskis, Henry
Clays, and Old Travellers, besides =
lumber of fine-bred trotters, in
AImont's jr., High Privates,
Ham bletonians, etc. We are justly
proud of the quality of our stock.
But there are two things l think we
10 for which we should be con-
lemned by every stockman and
very farmer IS well. refer first
20 the practice Of bringing in every
7ear ten or twenty car loads of Tex
IS mustangs, and selling them to
,ur farmers; it will eventually ruin
he character Of our stock. Ten
generations will not breed good |
lorse out OF a mustang. Second,
our mule men go 20 Kentucky and
)uy two-year old mules, and let
hem out to the farmers to make a
crop, returning them to the feeder
n June. At my station there have
.lrsady been SIX carloads of TWEEN
y fl 20 each so lot out. Now at
irst sight it seams quite a favor to
he farmer to get a mule to make a
.rop with without owning it; but it
,egsts a shiftlsss, dependent habit
hat is fatal to Gtock-raising and to
he farmers themselves.
"The plOwman drives afield with ear
ly day,
And at evening homeward plods his
homeward way,"
ull of hope of a bountiful harvest.
Never in my knowledge has more
work been done in the first twelve
lays of March; the oat-crop sown is
louble that of any former year, and
learly all the cortland is broken,
manure has been hauled out and
on poor spots, more and
,etter agricultural tools are used,
a corn planter-which, by
he way, is manufactured at Lynn
fills a long-fOlt want.
Nearly all the oats has clover ard
much grass sown with it. The
winter has been one of unusual Sc
-erity, but for EN- days it has been
warm, and 1t is making a decided
on the scattering
wheat. The most slovenly sown
wheat on grass and stalks is much
better than that sown on thorough
V prepared clover land which froze
,ut for want of protection, being
iown late owing to the drought.
Much grass and clover is frozen out,
md some of our converts to grass
ire going back to cotton, which will
cave them landless, and we fear
noneyiess, tool. H. B.