The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-02-13
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Grass Lands in Cotton Climate.


In forming cotton climate nature
requires not only a liberal supply OF
solar heat and sunshine, but also more
moisture in the atmosphere than will
meet the wants of many other plants.
This atmospheric humidity is very IA
vorable to the growth and everlasting
existence of all the best grasses known
to man. In delivering an agricultural
address to cotton planters in Burke
County, Ga, in 1S47, l called at
tention to the fact of their having
to fight grass all their lives
in cotton fields was proof
positive that grass will grow and does
grow in a cotton climate. No man
ever made a crop of cotton without
planting cotton seed and defending his
favorite staple against the invasion OF
grass. l remember being laughed at
for inquiring "at what time in the year
farmers sowed the seed of their album
dant crab-grass?" A little mother wit
and industry can make a fortune by
converting air and water into the best
crab-grass hay for consumption in
Southern cities. Inferior prairie hay
is sold in Nashville, sent five hundred
miles by rail to this market.
Having a dozen articles in embryo
on farming grass lands in our cotton
climate, will devote this to hints for
the wise use of crab-grass seed already
planted by a liberal hand on every
farm. 10 grow a desirable crop of hay
from crab-grass or any other, the soil
must have fertility in mineral ele-
ments, including available nitrogen.
On most stock farms, cow-peas and
crab-grass may be grown for winter
forage to advantage. Many fields may
be cultivated by gang-plows, the crop
cut, spread, raked and hauled
to the barn by horse power.
Let the farmer raise his seed
peas and clover seed, sowing
the latter in the chaff with peas, and
he may draw a fairness from the air he
breathes that will make him rich
man if he makes no foolish bargains.
Clover-seed should not be plowed in
with peas, but sown on the same
ground as the peas are sprouting, as
clover-seed is sown on young wheat
to shade and shelter young and tender
clover plants. With no pea-vines,
crab-grass and clover in about equal
parts make capital hay for home USE
Grass, pea-vines and other heritage,
cut and cured properly, form
food for farm stock that may
be changed into meat, horse
flesh, wool, milk, butter and cheese at
liberal profit Nine-tenths of all the
old-time hard work of farming or hus-
bandry may be done and is done by
machinery. 1t takes less labor to
produce a pound of fine wool than a
pound of cotton. TO obtain fair crop
of grass, Bermuda, Texas bluegrass
or any other, followed by a crop of
wool or mutton, no man has to fight
corn or cotton as an enemy. Grass
and wool are natures products, and
will come to civilized man with
minimum of labor We have an
abundance of fair farming in a very
favorable climate to grow wool cheap
er per pound than any one can grow
cotton. All agricultural growth is the
work of sunshine with the aid of a
little human wit and labor. 10 multi
ply cotton tibers you kill grass; to
multiply wool tibers one should Guilt
vate grass, and may feed his sheep
under cool and dark shelters to keep
off flies which do more harm than dogs
in Tennessee.-C Dixie Farmer.