The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-10
eR1cULrURAL DEPARTMENT
Ne field, Farm and Garden

IGRICU Ii JhAL LEI AN AhEN L.
h TIE Field, Farm and Garden
H.. solicit articles for this department.
Il ,a,,s OF the writer shold accompany
Litter or article. not nscs sarly for pub
,-ioa. out as an evidence of good faith.
bs Grasses the South Might Grow.
|na.iel Deanett, cf Lincoln county. Mis-
mi saws il the American Agriculturist,
IT, grass, hay, the breeding OF horses,
les, cattle, sheep, swine and goats, and
.n,estic fowls, should be the foundation
southern agriculture, and the super
M,,ct1lre should be live stock in the great
4 abundance. including all farm animals;
L. dairving, grass-made butter and hay
4 northern markets; pork, lard, beef, fine
tie horses and mules for home and
.rtbern markets: early vegetables and
lis for northern and southern markets;
cd canned and preserved fruits. jellies,
deserves, honey and horticultural products,
ending cut flowers for northern and south
n cities. Large plantations, negro labor
III great staple crops, can never make
<,thern agriculture a success. The white
rmer. stock breeder. truck farmer and
srticulturist must save the south and
Il ke it prosperous. The negro is adapted
" to gang labor and large plantations.
der the eye OF an experienced overseer.
4 In 1879 the southern states had about
4 1855. 900 head of grass and hay-eating ami
als horses, mules, mich COWS, oxen and
her cattle), 9,054,0 GOO sheep and 1,1Ss.0OO
zine. (Au southern swine should be of
h best grsss-eating breeds) All these
les. in 1879, made but 2, $4,000 tons of
H.. The states south of Missouri, Ten
k5see and North Carolina, most of them
krlering on the Gulf of Mexico had, ia
70. about 100000 horses, mules, asses
hi cattle, 100000 sheep and 100000
kine. These states made, in 1879, but $780,
b. ions of hay, IS pounds to each grass
! tiay animal, not including sheep, goats
hi hogs. Yet while the north has com
lratively few varieties of grasses, the
outh has many, some of them excellent
Inter grasses; these last, with rust-proof
! IS and winter rye, will keep stock in fine
tder all winter with no hay whatever.
toward, in his excellent book on southern
Passes, said that he had eaten beef, of
-year-old steers, that had never eaten
bund of hay, and were kept fat all winter
winter grasses alone. We have Ken
/ ckv blue grass, Texas blue grass, orchard
lass, white and red clover, fescue grass,
rrginia lyme grass and at least half a
i zen other grasses; most of them grow all
inter and some of them all winter except
4 the month of January. Lespedeza is
/ nj winter grass. 1t is killed by Novem-
er frosts, but have seen the seeds germi-
j tie and growth commenced late in Jan
Dry in latitude 81 80 1t always starts in
hbruary in Mississippi, and if bitten by
BIRD fro'ts it springs up again after few
bvs of warm weather. Bermuda is one of
BE- best grasses in the south for hay and
Fazing. 1t may be cut three timesa year.
'bomas Affleck, the noted horticulturist,
JADE four tons of Bermuda hay to the acre
Mississippi. Mr. st. Julien made in
buth Carolina at the rate of eleven tons of
'ermuda hay to the acre on a small patch
trtilized scientifically as an experiment to
10 the possibilities of Bermuda. Crab
ass may be cut two or three times on rich
bid, and makes nay equal in value, ton for
En, to northern hay sold in the south. A
Fn of this hay may be made to the acre on
ind that made a good crop of corn the
\ me year. 1t is self-seeiing and grows
Eom May until November frosts. Hay
kay be made in the south during June,
bly, August, September and October; the
eSt is usually made in July and August.
|espedeza, or Japan clover, on rich land,
| Fakes fine hay and large crops. Red clover
pes we'll in the south on lands containing
1enty of lime. Pea vine hay is about
Dual to northern red clover. 1t may be
hade ton or more to the acre among corn.
Ihe seed is sown in June, bushel to the
.cre, in corn planted early in March. Sweet
plato vines make good hay; cattle are as
|bnd of them, green or cured. as they are of
|ea vines which are equal to red clover.
Fedge grass. if cut in August, makes
fuch better hay than northern meadow
'ay, natural hay growing in wet meadows
+ the northern states. Buffalo and Mes
quite grasses cover large areas in Texas,
md are highly esteemed. Virginia lime
Erass may be cut twice in the winter and
|Pring,. and will continue to grow until
une. johnson grass, or Means grass. may
pe cut three times in one season, and on
'ich land win yieldf four tons of good hay to
Ine acre. In Mobile this hay usually sells
or ABOUT SIS ton. Cotton planters cry
'own johnson grass and Bermuda, and, in
Iced, crab grass and all other grasses, be-
PAUSE they injure the cotton crop. Cattle,
mules, horses, sheep and swine are less liza
pie to diseases in the south than in the north
when as web fed and cared for as northern
farm animals.
The possibilities of the southern states in
+ee production of grasses, forage crops, in
pludlng hay, sorghum, fodder corn, Maffir
PORN pearl millet, osinte, sweet potato
vines, COW peas, II, lespedeza, COW
fioTer, rust proof oats. erman millet and
many other plants and grasses, with rich
'oI' intensive farming and high cultivation,
feem to be almost unlimited.