St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-03-30
a CHAPTER ON GRASSES.

cause circumstances may be changed
obstacles may be removed out of tn
way; but il the fight is against nature
it is useless to make it; defeat is Ger
tain. Our first inquiry then is, d,
wild grasses flourish, unaided b,
man, in southern ATTITUDES? A
an answer we point to the mes
quite grasses of Texas, the broom
sedge, the wild rye or Terrell grass
the Texas blue grass, and many other
that are natives of the southern state
of foreigners that have been natural
lied and have found a congenial HON,
in our climate. We cite crab grass
crowfoot, Bermuda. and johnson
grass. These not only flourish here
but thrive better than they do at tn,
north. From this fact would it bt
logical to infer that grasses did no
grow well at the north? Just as rea
sonable as to say that because som,
northern grasses do not grow well a
the south, the latter is not q gras.
country. The truth is that few
or no grasses are cosmopolitan; every
species is more or less localized. and t.
make grass culture successful in any
locality, the varieties best suited to i,
must be sought.
We now repeat our first inquiry. Why
has grass culture been less prevalent
at the north than at the south? First
because ut the south sparse popula
tion created a smaller demand for food
products, including meat, milk and
butter, which latter rests largely on Z
grass foundation. As q country be.
comes more and more densely popu
lated, it's soil becomes taxed more anG
more, simply to feed its inhabitants
As compared with the south the north
is much more populous.
Second, abundant slave labor and the
large number of acres to each inhabi
tant at the south rendered it possible
to cultivate export (money) crops ex
tensively over and beyond the neces
sary food crops.
Third, the peculiar adaptability o,
climate and soil to tho cotton plant
the leading textile plant of the world
stimulated its cultivation to a wonder
full degree.
Fourth, free labor and dear labor a,
the north stimulated the cultivation OF
crops there that required least manual
labor. The problem there was to find
the crops which enabled them to utilize
their lands with least labor and great
est production of food. Grass and stock
Eli these requirements
Fifth. the cultivated grasses of Grea,
Britain whence the northern people
themselves, and their views and Gus
toms camel found in the north a con
genial climate, cool, and with album
dant SHOWS in winter. The transfer
therefore, OF cultivated grasses from
the old word to the northern states
was easy and natural.
The range" in mild southern eli
mates supported an abundance OF
stock, and the need of cultivated
grasses was not felt. IN the south the
problem was, not how to utilize land
with little labor, but with an album.
dance of it. Grasses and grain thus
naturally become the crops of the
north, cotton that of the south;
partly from climate, because OF
its relations to labor. the ne.
groes being unsuited to the north,
partly because OF its relations
to certain cultivated grasses which
had obtained strong foothold among
the English people. and partly because
in their migrations, people follow the
same belts of climates and therefore
the north las immigration came from
northern Europe) became more popu-
lous than the south. In the north the
for stock was greater, and the
necessity for providing food for il
greater, both ON account Of severity OF
and the absence of range, .
whilst At the south the opposite
prevailed. The reader
will pardon the stress laid upon
this line of thought We have
pursued it at some length be-
cause the majority of our people are
skeptical about growing grass at the
south, and regard climate not as the
indirect, but as the direct and imme-
date cause of the comparative scarcity
Of grass fields with us.
The contrasts drawn above existed
before the late war-at present they are
not SO great-slave labor has been sup
planted by free labor; the range is
gone over large portions of territory,
popl lation is becoming more dense, the
demand for stock is increasing, the
means of feeding them decreasing, the
land has been exhausted and
washed away by cotton culture
which has become less remunera-
tive. and now the problem press
ing upon us, is like that which con-
the northern farmers. how to
utilize our large farms with the least
amount OF manual labor. Will grass
culture help to do this, and is it prac-
ticable? If SO. what are the varieties
TO cultivate, and the best method to
pursue? Grass culture certainly re-
quires very little labor; whether grazed
by stock or cut by mowers. the labor
required is less than that of any other
crop. Nothing could fill the require
ment better in this respect. Is it prac-
ticable? This hinges, in our judg-
ment, in large measure upon the
of grass selected. In the
south we must look chiefly to the
grasses indigenous to warm CHI
mate. In mountain regions Gncluding
IN these not only the mountains prop
er. but the basic hills which stretch
out for a considerable distance from
heir feet the grasses Of northern eli
mates will grow quite we'll. Orchard
Ind blue grasses, red and white clover
will grow as well in these localities
IS any where But for the cotton states
It large we must look mainly to south
,rn. not northern grasses.
No single grass will furnish continu-
'us winter and summer grazing. We
iced, therefore. both winter and sum-
ner varieties OF the former, our
choice is rather limited;sof the lat
er. our wealth is abundant Rear
q mind. We arc speaking of the
;otton states ct largo. not q the hill