The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-08
Crab Grass Hay.

There is waste enough on many farms
to treble or quadruple the income from
United States bonds of like investment.
Still the cry is "hard times" How
much hay goes to waste every year on
the average farm {? Every farmer should
guard against this. 1t xill pay to get u
mower, though the ia, mer may not
have any meadows there is every year
crab grass enough in the wheat fields,
on ordinary farms, to justify the outlay
for q mower. When the crop. is sown,
the fields should be smoothed with a
harrow that the mower may run over it
without any trouble. At the proper
time, when the grass is fully il. head,
start the mower. IF there are many
ragweeds in the field, start the mower
just before they are in full bloom and
they make very good winter forage for
sheep, cattle and mules. Where there
are small farms and farmers who cannot
conveniently operate a machine or affo,d
to buy one, let them get moving scythes
with stocks adjusted already for work,
costing each abou. $1.35. With one of
these and ordinary field hand, working
two hours in a patch Of good crab grass,
can cut hay enough to pay for it. There
is a great variety Of weeds and grasses
which grow spontaneously on every
farm, and generally in great luxuriance,
which would, if harvested in time.
made nutritious forage much relished
by almost NIL kinds Of farm stock. Is it
not strange that so much of this goes to
waste every year? A good hand with
out q machine, cave from three to five
dollars worth in u day yet the farmer
gathers up his hands and before his rod-
der is fully ripe, wading through fine
grass up to his knees, commences strip
ping blades, taking care to leave no
green fodder in the field. He saves per
hand about 100 bundles a day worth
$l.25. while he Injuries the corn, from
which it is pulled, from forty to sixty
pounds. Thus he tolls in sight. it may
be, Of ahuge pile Of d%ecaying wheat
and oat straw and chaff, which, if prop
erly cared for, would have furnished
his stock an excellent forage crop. In
order to make hay-saving easy, a good
piece of low ground should lie selected
to, SOW. in oats. Let the land thus se-
lected be we'll fortified and the oats
sown in the fall. if it liz not subject to
overflow. After the oats are cut the
crab grass will grow rapidly and soon
be ready TO harvest. If ragwecds are
likely to choke the grass they NAV be
effectually checked by a little work
with q cradle or moving blade i; in this
way | have known two good crops of
crab grass saved from the same land in
one year.
Care should be taken not to allow the
grass to get wet after it once becomes
dry. In a hot sun it will cure very
soon after cutting. and when dry It vii,
lose moro than half it's value in a single
shower Of rain. The best hay is saved
by cutting in the morning and housing
In the evening of the same day. When
dried in this way it is bright and retains
a:l~its nutrition it Is grecdily eaten
and easily digested by all kinds oil
stock. If the farmer is scarce Of house
ROOM the hay may be nicely saved in
stacks in the field around poles only
protect the bottom from dampness and
sharpen the top to turn'the water.
A. j. K.