The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-10-12
FARMER AND PLANTER
GREEN MATURING.

GREEN MATURING.
me v.los 81 Lucsrne - . Ferenislns
Agency.
How can plants increase the fertility
of the soil? In two ways One by add,
ing to it that part q themselves which
they obtain from the air, and the 9TH
err by searching many feet into the
ground with their roots and bringing
to the surface the chemicals and fer
tilizing materials stored there, and
filtered from the surface for ages.
This is lucerne's method of benefit
ing the soil. This letter, from q prac-
tical farmer. SO completely explains
and answers every point and question,
that we feel we can not add to it.
I'm September, 1894, wrote short
article about lucerne. have received
letters concerning it from all parts of
the country, and at the request of nay
friends all over the Union, will talk
little more about lucerne, its habits,
uses and culture. Lucerne will grow
on any land that will produce wheat,
corn or potatoes, and will thrive on
many lands that none OF these will
grow on. especially very light sand or
gravel, though it does well on clay.
But it will not grow on any land that
the water stands within ono foot of
the surface. and there is no use in SOW
ing it in an alkali that is strong enough
to keep wheat from growing.
Though particular about wet land.
1t will stand any amount of
wet in the summer, as long there is
plenty of drainage. 1t will also stand
all the water in the winter Tint may
fall in the shape of rain, or snow that
may melt. 1t is a very quick grower,
and will mature the first crop in about
two months from the time that growth
commences. The second crop will ma
ture in about six weeks from cutting,
and the third in about five weeks from
cutting OF the second. The second
crop is the heaviest, but the first is Z
little the best feed, as it grows a little
longer than the others. It will
yield about on m average OF six tt4,s
per acre. and 1 have known Il to pro-
duce double that quantity. It is a
perennial OF the clover tribe, but will
o"tv'e1d At two TO one. makes just as
good feed, and la r-r@a adyao ta-E.c
over the closer, ior- it's'.ss'4ss.isaa doSyss,
i put Stands ~, s.r:. gin : s
- Sowing nA.,s method is 10 slr7v
roadeast-<s1ss.saz4 fifteen pounds per
acre where the land is in good ecnd!.
ton, but on very weedv land or clear
gravel, Or sand that is very poor, put
ubout three pounds more You can not
get any crop from it the first year, f,rss
do not get discouraged il The plants
ure on an average ten inches apart.
little, slim single stems about four
to six inches high. Your prospect
is good that you will get four
tons per acre next year, and the next
1T will be as good rs ever it will. and
stand that way for ten years it is
best to sow with grain. oats are this
best; thus you will lose no time bit
can have a crop from your land every
year. In fact it toes better to have it
shaded when young. Sow at the same
time that you do spring grain.
nj =.
of rain there Is no cultivation needed,
for 1t would he unwise to mart're Il.
us it thrives fully MS we'll on washed
sand as wilt on the best garden
spot, but in few years it will
make clear sand n rich land, ow-
ing to the decay of the root. The
roots will sink themselves for dis
lance of ten to twenty feet straight
down. They are about one and Il half
inches in diameter. and fully one-l,nlf
OF that root decays every ycnr from the
outside. aud keeps growing larger
from the center every year.
1T should be cut when in full bloom
little old is better than too young;
when the bloom is ready to fnll off is
not too late. DO not cut too much at
once, for ii you allow d rain 70 come on
your hay after it is cut. it will not be
worth more than one-ha]s for
feed. and will he entirely worth
A~so ~ market. Heavy dcVS
are not good either. Rake into
windrows if cut with II moving ma
chine. ard let dry until it begins to
Ter the leaves fall when handled
roughly. then pick it up and lay it in
piles. just one forI<full in a pile to
cure. Do not roll it together or it
viii not load easily, then yun will
have to pull It to pieces thus losing
one-half of the leaves. by following
my directions you put each on
perfectly clean at one fork-full, and
not waste time nor any of the leaves.
But right here let mo warn You
against condemn;ns 1t as worthless
lot of sticks until You try your horses
and COWS, and see them clean UP the
sticks before they do the leaves. There
are not it1any animals that take
to it when dry, without having it in
their manager for few days will, 9TH
err hay; but in Il few days you will see
the grass hay left while the lucerne Is
cleaned up. A ton of lucerne will not
go quite as far Il ton Of timothy. Do
not let hungry cattle get Oh It While
green. especially when wet, for 1t will
bloat them, which is apt to result in
death. II you wish to pasture it, first
feed your stock all they can and will
eat, then turn them on the green lu-
cerne, and no harm will come to them
1t is the best thing to renew old, worm