The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-10-20
'>room-straw and calling it grass.

NrOOm- straw and calling 1T grass. !
7e opposed the putting down OF land
IL ass until it has been brought up
int - edition to grow a good sod. But
when once in that condition, nave
urged our farmers in the P1edmonG
hills to keep it up by top dressing ana
by not overstocking. [ have denounced
as an insane notion the idea prevaIenC
IN Piedmont that the plOwlng under OF
a heavy growth of clover IS only the
loss of so much feed, and have advised
our farmers to plOw under clover anu
COW peas until their land is IN condition
to grow 0OOd 0rGSs [ would beg leave
to inform Mai. Ragland that though
engaged in teaching, [ am as much
farmer as he is. and what | have writ
ten has been the result of experience
on the lands | refer to. On Maj. Rag
lands lighter land and heavier rainfall
it may be necessary to terrace, but on
the Albemarle hills | know from eXpe-
rience that they can be brought into a
good condition and be gotten into
heavy sod without any terraCing what
ever. | have farmed largely in that
county and know that when these
steep red hills of upper Piedmont are
properly plOwed, there is little danger
of serious washing if not kept long in
in hOed crops. If man plOws these
steep hills three or four inches deep,
they will wash into gullies, but let him
plOw as I have, on hills so steep that
horses could hardly get around them,
with three heavy mules tOa plOw, and
two more to a subsOil plOw behind
them, and break twelve inches deep,
and it may lie bare all winter as l have
had it lie, and simply get mellow with
frost | can show Mai. Ragland to-day
hilIsides in Albemarle with gullies that
were bare and red when | undertook
their Improvement, and to-day the
grass is thicker in the gullies than
elsewhere.
No, Major, don't accuse me of talking
against grass. The only grasses | am
opposed to are poverty grass and
broom sedge If | was in some parts
of the country would accept Johnson
grass rather than have no grass. l
have no objection to fair criticism of
anything may write. | have prob
ably had as many years practical eX-
perience in these matters as Maj. Rag
land. | do not profess to know every
thing, but am still an earnest student
learning more as the gray hairs increase
than did in earlier and more thought
less years.
The seed discussion is just where it
was at the beginning have denounced
as a humbug the scattering through
Congressman of common garden seeds
that anybody can buy, but have never
opposed the carrying out Of the law in
regard to the introduction and dissent
nation Of improved varieties, even if it
be of an improved sort of tobacco seed.
l have declared the present practice to
be an unwarrantable use of public
funds Maj. Ragland has evaded any
answer to this whatever, and goes out
Of his way to charge me with teaching
things | never dreamed of. I am per-
fectly willing to discuss practical topics
in a way that may be helpful to the
readers of The PROGRESSIVE FARMER,
but my own self-respect fOrbids me
taking further notice of one who evi-
IDENTIFY does not know what is due from
one gentleman to another in a discus
sion. w. +. MASSEY.