The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-06-16
INCREASING HAY YIELD.

JOrlGy OF SOuGheTn FARMERS Sp9uu aL
least three months out OF every twelve
killing their very best friend in their
efforts TO get rid OF the natural growth
of crab grass that grows 80 luxuriant
ali through the South on all weil-culti
waited and fertiized land.
Il is trite saying that it takes brains
to run farm, aud sCm9 men who are
farmers are totally uneui5ed to their
calling, and others if suited are SO
hedged around with old notions and
PR jIdices that they will never leave
the old ruts and system thet were in
vogue sixty or more years ago. The
majority Of farmers wo1k very hard
and accomplish ell that thoy think it
posi- le to do in q certain time and
during the season at their disposal, but
if with this hard work they are unsys,
temalic they are simply throwing away
so much time and energy. This fact
will be very forcibly impressed on any
one travelling through some sections
of cur Southern States IN tie fell Of the
year on seeing 50 much valuable hay
LETT to rot in the fields, when it might
| have been save d end used to adven-
| tage either for market or feeding at
| homo. am lfe in say ing that in this
county (WRlJou) alone last fall there
were ten thousand tons of good crab
grass hey left in the fields to decay az d
rot all for little push and energy to
cut it and cure it, and ali through the
winter months cattle are roaming the
woods in a state of semi starvation be
longing to these very farmers that
owned those fi9ids and either through
shiftlessncss or lazjnCs So, Cor perhaps
bcth) they would not use what nature
80 1iberelly bestowed en- them.
OnvisitiDg the various country stores
one is impressed with the fact that all
hay for sale is baled timothy shipped
in from the North or West; once in a
while Cne comes across a bale Of crab
grass hay, but it is very seldom indeed.
Now this crab grass hay is one Of the
mCst valuable products of the Southern
farm, and being an annual the yield Of
it IS very much Increased by judicious
fertiljzing, it grows spontaneous and
the better the previous cultivation the
heavier the growth Of it. We never
have it on new land, but after the sec
oGd years cultivation it is sure to come
to the front; is makes far superior hay
| to timothy, and stock that are used to
it will not eat any other kind of hay as
| long es they can get it, and every
| farmer in the South can have oil of it
| he wants If he retains his crop in q
! iudicious manner, and the best of IL is
that it will grow after another crop has
been taken off. always get a good
crop Of it every year after my corn
crop is harvested. This is done by level
ing the land by meaDs Of V shaped
harrow at the last working of the corn
and cutting the corn stalks clCss to the
ground with very sharp hoe. IF the
corn has been well fertilizad, particular
ly with potash, the hay don't require
any more fertllizins but if not, hun
dged pounds of cotton seed meal and
four hundred pounds Of kainit at the
| last working Of the corn will prove q
| good investment, if the season is favor
able. l can some times cut two crops
Of hay from the corn field before cold
weather, thus making three crops in
one year { IF the same land. Oat stub
BILE plowed under and kainit broad
casted at the time of blowing has al
ways gwen me q very satisfactory
crop and often two crops. l always
get a good crop Of hay from my early
| tomato patch, some times two cuttings
and oftt n three, and after the straw
| berries are through bearing, we have
| got TO let the grass grow on Ghe bed to
protect the plants from our hot sum-
mer Southern sun and it has always
| given me two cuttings and some times
three, and 1 might go on inde fiaItely
repeating the same thing, but have
always noticed that the crops that got
the most potash always gave me the
best crop OF crop OF crab grass hay. In
my orchard, I always cut two or three
times the grass that grows so luxuriant
and the years that the crop of fruit is
light are the years that the crop of hay
is best and potash gets in its bsst work
in the orchard. The general rule with
the orchard is to keep it well cultivated
up to within a few weeks of the fruit
ripening AID at the last cultivation
scatter cotton seed meal and work it in
the soil for hay, but lately have been