The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-14
The south Rich In Forage Plants.

When a section of country has reduced
the productive capacity of it's soils from
Ions cultivation of crops requiring clean
culture, and a consequent destruction of
the humus in them, the invariabe resort
has been to grass and clover and stock.
There is no other system by which the
worn and quilted fields can be restored to
a normal fertility. 1t is useless for US to
turn to any other crop that requires clean
culture-that is, to make specialties of
any of them. Our cotton and corn are not
to be replaced by tobacco and sugar cane.
We have only the usual resort in such
cases-(to restore our depleted uplands to
a condition that will justify any further
farming of them)-and that is grass and
stock
If any country is blest in the way of
climate and the possession of numerous
suitable plants for the production of hay
and stock of all kinds, it is certainly our
own country east of the Mississippi river,
and between the Both and 35th parallel of
latitude land particularly so between the
SOth and 33d), embracing nearly all of the
hve South Atlantic and Gulf states. This
territory is contiguous to good harbors
and with the best of facilities for the
rapid transportation of is products to the
countries of Europe and the east with
genial climate where the crudest shelter
ing is sufficient even in the dairying bust
ness; where pasturage can be secured at
least nine months in the year, and where
green food of some kind can be cut ev-
cry month in the year; where stock of all
kinds are as free from disease, when prop
erly treated, as anywhere in the world
perhaps.
With all these advantages what other
conditions are needed, or can be named, to
make grass and Stock farming the most
promising occupation that our people
could engage in, either exclusively or shar-
ed with reasonable culture of our chief
staple crop. Let us grow some cotton to
insure ready money for the time and to
furnish through its seed the most valua-
Bile flesh forming food and fertilizer for
grass that we can possibly get, but let us
cease to make a speciality of it. In that
shape ii cannot serve us we'll. The demon
stration of this is complete
Recently the writer enumerated twenty
plants as adapted to the wants of the
southern farmer, and the list is repeated
below for the contemplation or criticism
of those who are beginning to realize the
very great need of a change in our system
of farming, and of RELOCATING cotton to an
humber position in our farm economy
than it has held in the past.
For nearly a score of years we have
been able to see only the hand of God in
the spontaneous spread of the Bermuda
grass and Japan clover over our fields and
forests. Through them nature seems to
have pointed the way, though we have
been slow to heed the suggestion. Until
very recently the royal plant-Bermuda
grass-receiYed perhaps many more curses
than blessings but the future will doubt
less multiply the latter and raise the plant
to the position of prominence that it de-
serves as the chief among a score of val
liable plants adapted to the needs of
southern farm life in the new era of stock
and grass, to which we must inevitably
come soon or later.
Hay and pasture plants for southern
use:
]. Bermuda grass. TO- Lucerne.
2 johnson grass. II. Red clover.
3. Texas blue grass ~. Timothy.
4. Meadow oat grass 10. Oats.
8. Red top or herds IA. Rye.
grass. Is. Barley.
6. Orchard grass. 16. Amber sorghum.
z. Burr clover n. Crab grass.
8. Italian rye grass. IS. Indian corn.
n 81 IN