The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-06
Forage Plants.

Forage Plants.
rer governmental plat this season eX-
<Ihlfs 16 plants grown chiefly for the pur-
sosA Of forage, either to be used for soil
81. suring the summer or converted into
nav for fall and winter use.
e6iling is so much more economical tnan
,,.4turinz it should be a general practice
rlth the dairyman any and everywhere.
Ut course if a dairyman has an abundance
81 hood land on which he can MAINTAIN
iuxariant pastures, it is all very well TO
n.eiure. even If it is more or less waste
fnl# But the dairyman or farmer WIN
united area of arabic land Will always
and IL profitable TO practice solllhS. IN
4n4 south where labor Is so cheap ana
rtafy rich land limited there Is true econ
omr in soiling, and the man VINO IolioWs
s.,rh a practice a year or two is more
fhan likely to keep 1t up. one acre soiled
thai is the crop cut from unle 10 uiAo
and carried TO the stock instead OF al
lowing them TO gather the crop theh-
eeives is equal to two or three acres
when pastured. So much Of the crop Is
deslroyed by trampling, and then the IN
Jury to the land is to be considered, When
any pasturing is done in wet weather as
b renerally the case when pasturing is the
rule
Ifthe thousands of small farmers, along
with those who run small dairys IN ana
about our towns and cities, would ADOPT
the practice soiling there would be mark
ed Improvement in the condition OF the
land used by them, and at the same tlne
a marked advance in their own lholVlu-
uaI prosperity. There are TWO Things we
have specially urged upon our southern
farmers in the past twenty years, that
we are still inclined to press. These are
giving more attention to forage crops, ana
thereby diminishing the use OF grain 1000,
and the recognition Of the great value
Of the roller.
The farmer of Middle Georgia even, not
TO mention the Southern Georgia and
Tlorda farmer, can have something green
TO cut for his stock the year round. Some
winters there may be a few weeks alto
gether when 1t may be impossible to pro-
vide the green food. But limit the posi-
bility of doing this to eleven months of
the Year, and the southern farmer still
remains the most blessed in this respect
OF all others in this great country, and
OF those in any other country.
Our plants adapted to soiling and fod-
der purposes are-so be named by the dozen;
not lust one or Two, or five or six, but a
dozen, score, hundred, you might say.
Here's a bakers dozen, any one of
which would answer the purpose of sup
plying green food for stock kept In their
stalls or pens in that warmer period OF
the year from June to Oct l. Still
While all are good, some are so much
oetter than the others, practical tests
enables one 70 choose only the best, re-
sorting to the inferior kinds when neces-
ailE only enforces their use. This may
not be frequent.
here are twelve sorghums that show
N1Fery great difference TO the casual OBJ
Yer, as his eye rests upon the several
rows of luXuriant plants, but the pracri-
cal and practised feeder can point out
the superior advantages possessed by
sone over the others. We name them in
the order of their value, as we regard 1t.
VtherS with like experience, possibly
MlBht differ in their estimate of them,
but the difference could not be great:
Amber sorghum, 90 orange sor-
8nNm , go ivory or Brazilian wheat" "a
u,il a maize" white, 90 milo maize, yell
laM 60 Kaffir corn, red, "a Kaffir corn.
WI te, G9 black rice corn, 80 Jerusalem
en-" QQ large African millet.
several of these sorghums there is
N4 perceptible difference and practically
Fe is none. The first two are saccha-
t'H sorghums, the others are non-sac-
SPA Pine. OF the latter class we give the
pfA erence to the sorghum with the COM
Men name, ivory or Brazilian wheat"
GROWS taller and is later in seeding
than the others. AS a grain producer it
n preferable in our judgment to the
ofHers In growing any of them for for
A purposes 1t Is presumed that they
NR not allowed TO mature Seed but are
c1< and fed green or converted into hay
Ret pre- the seeds are perfectly ripe, Il
HnF Of these sorghums are ever grown
HHcifcally for bread we must believe il
WEI be the third on the list.
ere adjourning the sorghums, axe
QtAer forage plants;
Ieosinte, popcorn, dwarf; popcorn,
TAI; common corn, Blount; sofa bean
"a the way Of Soiing crop there could
PC few prettier sights than a rich acre
0t Teosinte or the same area in tall pops
corn grown as in this case rows three
fest apart and two to three pecks of seed
Nsed per acre. OF grain this is the most
Afpductive variety of corn perhaps ever
opeerved With stalks ten to twelve
NRheS apart in the row, they aYera ge
tnfee, If not four, ears per stalk Some
AaEe shot out as many as seven ears
4uf how many of these will mature grain
are not prepared to say. This corn
VS. not thinned, even to this distance,
IN it had reached a hight of five to six
teft Three-fourths of the stalks were
zen out early in June, leaving
remainder to stand at
a*erage of about twelve inches. This
NnceS remarkable prolfcness of grain
4aes 1t not? In our twenty years of farm
II Is one or the most interesting sights
indian corn we have ever seen.
Referring to the Teosinte there is no
tfnt in all the graminacae superior to it
1a tenderness and palatability. 1t never
- t t al or hard SO far as we have been
eie TO observe. 1t Is plant deserving
81 the highest consideration from dairy
I'm, and all others that believe in soiling
raising large quantities of fodder.
ne pop corn is preferable for fodder
NHrposes, but in its absence there is no
0kcount on the Blount corn as a fodder
ffeducer sown six TO eight pecks per
&c. and cut soon after tasseling.
Now these are all ANNALS The farmer
Qf dairyman who owns his land and re-
8Ards himself as settled will not RELY ex-
tpsively on anything approachins it up
Qn annual plants. We have too many
Epod perennials that once sown and es-
4blished properly Will come to time with
product OF forage, FIVE. six to ten
vars from the one sowing. and the wise
t4r1er viii not neglect the royal Luz
eern or Alfalfa meadow oat grass. and in
place Johnson grass and several 9TH
cts that we might name.
The sorghums and other plants above
Mmed are strictly summer or warm
Weather growers. At another time we
II speak of the winter growers or hardy
wants that are used TO keen uD the suc-
1ssion of green food. furnishing IL from
pvember to May. There need be no gan
the supply.
lave you made ample provision for the
( forage for the coming winter? Look
er the situation and 20 TO work to
hke up any theratened deficiency. IT is
100 late. Right here We win remind