The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-08-16
WESTERN FARMING.
The Limited Area Well Adapted to Rails
Ing Hay for Anlmals.


Until quite recently nearly all the
Northern States raised hay and oats
enough to feed the horses that were
kept in them. But the horse popula-
ton OF the country is increasing very
rapidly. especially in all the large
cities and towns. Many are kept for
pleasure and many more for driving
Street-cars, peddlers' wagons, delivery
carts, heavy drays aud the different
vehicles employed by express compa-
MES. When it was proposed to drive
cars on railways by steam-power and
electricity it was generally thought
that the demand for horses would de-
crease, But such has not been the
case; the demand for horses has con-
stantly increased. As wealth increases
the greater is the demand for horses.
The history Of all countries shows that
such is the case. Every wealthy fam.
lily desires Il fine team Of carriage
horses, and often the different men,
bers of it wish riding horses and those
that a be used for drawing light bug
gies and carts. Every mandatory
started, every new mine opened creates
a demand for draft horses.
The East and South are no longer
able to raise all the horses they re.
quire. They find 1t cheaper to buy
them from Western farmers than to
feed and raise them. They now find
that they can not raise all or nearly
all the food their horses require. With
the exception OF portion of Kentucky,
a few valleys In some OF the other
States, no section Of the country south
OF the Ohio river is productive Of very
good grass. The climat and soil are
both unfavorable. There Is little snow
to protect the roots during the winter,
while the dry, hot summers are un-
favorable TO the continuous growth Of
grass and clover. A firm and produce
tive sod is not found where there is no
in winter, and where a protracted
drought prevails during a large part of
every summer Our good grass-pro-
ducing territory lies north of the thir-
~ty-ninth degree of latitude and west OF
the hundredth degree Of longitude, On
this IRE the grass must be raised for
feeding nearly all the horses, mules
and cows kept IN the large towns in
pVarV mart ~ tho pD,,ptuy,
The States east Of Ohio formerly
produced large crops OF grass, as they
did OF wheat, but the gradual exhaus-
lion of the soil has reduced the yield
food for animals as well as for hu-
man beings. Their equine population
1as increased as fast as their human
population, There Is a shortage of
lay and oats as well rs OF corr and
wheat, and 1t must be made up from
he Western States and Territories.
The great commercial crops of Iowa,
Minnesota, Nebraska and Dakota will
Don be grass and oats. They will be
Ieeded to feed the horses kept east OF
he Susquehanna and Hudson. Much
+ the land now annually sown to t
'heat will be seeded to timothy and |
ept in this crop. Timothy, fowl
meadow and other grasses will be in l
reduced on land that is too wet to
low and cultivate without going I'd c
he trouble and expense Of draining it. l
- --. .--- - - l=-1 ga
be more valuable than that which is '
Ugh and dry and adapted to the produc- L
on OF wheat and corn. While there o
re horses in the East and mules in the IL
outh that a not be fed on home D
food the bottom will not quite Ii
Ill out Of Western farming. Chicago u
lines. L