The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-12-18
Iouisrana prairie nay.

The prairies of Southwest Louisiani
are covered with grasses, some o.
which rank very high as either pasture
or hay grasses. Twenty varieties wer'
exhibited at the American Exposition
New Orleans, La, as was also bale o.
Louisiana hay, that attracted much at
tention as being the best bale Of native
hay on exhibition. 1t may not be gen
orally known that stock seek variety
in grasses, as man in food, and thai
nature provides that variety in the
wild grasses, while man overlooks that
important fact in the grasses and usu.
ally offers but one or, at most, two
varieties at once.
The foundation of Louisiana prairie
hay is Gazon or Carpet Grass, a Pas
palum, of which DIR. ID. L. Phares, Of
Mississippi Agricultural College, says
in his book on grasses, page Sc
"They are all succulcnt, tender, nutri-
tious, hardy, thrifty and relished by
all grass eating animals; the genus as
whole is one of the most valuable OF
all our southern pasture grasses, per
haps I should add hay grasses, for
compared with three Of the best known
and esteemed cultivated grasses the
nutritive matter they contain is in the
following order: Timothy, 67,Se
Paspalum (earpet grass), e5.s5; Or
chard; 5000; Blue Grass, 57,04. Al
though this shows Timothy containing
little more nutritiye matter, yet be-
ing less digestible it does not make as
good hay as Paspalum." Then fol-
lows DR.. Golfers analysis which shows
the same thing. Then follows another
test, he says "Auother farmer and
myself have spent ouf lives, so far, in
the same vicinity. He has always
been widely known for the good con-
dition in which he keeps all his ami
mails and for liberal feeding. For %
years he has been feeding this grass,
and for many years has had meadow
of this grass alone from which, with
out ever having seeded, he annually
mows about two tons of hay per acre.
Drovers who have been in the habit
of stopping with him every year de-
clare this hay to be unsurpassed for
exccllcncy by any hay produced in any
other State"
This hay being cut and cured upon
the prairie sod is entirely free from
dust and dirt therefore much better
for horses, especially that have defect
i've wind or weak lungs. And being
grown and cured in our sunny climate
having long season in which to per-
feet, IS more nutritious than northern
hay, more evenly and fully ripened and
much richer in saccharrlne matter, In
fact either grain or grass natures and
ripens much better IN England or onr
Gulf coast, a similar climate, than in
more severe latitudes,
No doubt this, hay should stand as
high in our markets as tame grasses
Timothy and Clovers) and when that
simple Justice is done, great indus
try will be established bringing mil
lions into the State. That this hay
can be laid in Southern markets as
cheaply as any other good hay there is
not doubt. The only trouble has
been in ignorance of its quality ::
Crates of transportation on Southern
Pacific are satisfactory, and some
rather high charges in cities for in
spection, weighing, brokerage, etc,
will be speedily romedied,"
Tho better grasses here root at each
Joint, and are therefore better feeders
and richer in nutrative matter, Close
feeding or moving for hay increases
the yield per acre and improves tha
quality of the grass, which is very
important matter, making the supply
practically inexhaustible. Southwest
Louisiana can furnish the world one
million tons of most excellent hay, af-
ter feeding her own half million head
of stock.
In the great hay markets of tho
North and West, Chicago, Cincinnati
and ST. Paul, prairie hay often out
ranks Timothy and Clover, and is al
ways preferred to feed horses,
s. L, CARY,