The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-06-11
THE DAIRY.
IN THE MATTER OF DAIRYING.
The Production of a Good Quality of Hay
Desirable.

whoever keeps a dairy will consult his
own interest in securing the best pas
lures possible by proper improvement
for this purpose.
Reasoning from the same standpoint,
the farmer should endeavor to produce
the best quality of hay for winter feed
ing. Especially is this desirable where
COWS are MIXED a part or the whole of
the winter season. Other crops will be
needed for this purpose, but hay made
from grass will continue to have it's ap
propriate place. And this should be in
quality as near grass as the conditions
will allow it to be made.
How to raise the most and best hay
should be the aim of farmers who keep
stock, and particularly COWS.
Some farmers seed to grass in the
fall, but perhaps moCsin spring. This
is an importaRSSmatter, as much of the
uset 8 of the meadows after seed
ing VII depend on the condition of the
soil, and how this work is done.
First the soil should be in a good
condition as regards fertility and q
thorough pulverization.
Perhaps more frequently than in any
other way, a cultivated crop Ia first
taken from the land, either corn or pc
tatoes. and then the next year it is
seeded to grass along with some kind
of grain. Where this is done and the
land sufficiently MANFRED, it should be
in a good condition, physical and other
wise, to produce satisfactory crops OF
hay for a term of years, with proper
treatment. But in this work particu
lar reference should be had to the
future crop of hay, rather than mere
present returns.
The manure should not all be applied
to the first crop. If it is, there will be
but comparatively little of it left for
the succeeding crops Of hay. A part
of the manure at least should be applied
with the crop when seeding down. If
the soil is in a pretty good state of fer.
tility and there are fears that more
MANURE would cause the grain to lodge
and thus smother or kill out the young
grass, then it had better be applied. In
such instances, or where there is not
enough Of manure for profitable use, q
good superphosphate can be employed
with excellent results. This would not
tend to produce so large or weak q
growth of straw as the manure, and
would help very much in giving the
grass seeding an early and vigorous
start which is very desirable. Then if
in the succeeding autumn a light dress
ing of manure can be given it will be
found to act mlsS favorably, both as
a fertilizer and a mulch for the grass
roots.
As to the kinds and quantity of grass
seeds to be soWn: This will depend
largely on the location, the kinds that
thrive best and are most in demand for
hay. This is a large country and no
n list of seeds would be alike adapted
to all sections. But in all parts some
kinds are much better than others and
these should be used.
Perhaps no one variety is in more
general favor than the clover in some
of its forms. It is good for the soil and
makes the best of hay when properly
managed. Here at the East we SOW
quite largely of the medium red and
the alstke clover, believing that a mix
ture of the two to be better than either
alone. With these we use timothy tC
a large extent, some perhaps adding
red-top or any other kind of grass tina
may seem desirable. At the West anC
South other varieties of the clover may
be better as we'll as of other kinds o
grasses. The idea should be to chocs
those kinds that experience proves K
be the best adapted to any given local
ity Oh soil.
Again it will pay to get the cleanes
and purest seeds that can be obtained
not only for the real value Of the hay
but to avoid as far as may be the intro
duction of noxious weeds that are fas
being spread over the country in tn
seeds that are purchased, to a yer!
large extent. A little extra for pur
seed should induce no n to take a.
inferior article, even at a considerabl,
lower price.
For some reason, perhaps the cor
-dition of the soil and the numerous in
sect pests, much more grass seed
now required to the acre than whe,
the country was new. We also nov
consider a finer quality of hay superio
to that which is larger and coarser i
growth, at least for COWS and YUuu
animals.