The morning news., 1897-07-26
Forage PIants-Beggar Weed

FORAGE PIants-Beggar Weed.
Paper read before the Winter Park Hor-
ticultural Society by C. H. Ward.
The committee appointed at a meeting
OF the directors of this society to report
at this meeting on the subject of forage
plants best adapted to Florida decided
as this was a larger field than could be
well covered at one meeting, they would
confne themselves mostly to three differ
ent kinds, viz: Florida clover crab grass
and teOsinte. The first two are very we'll
known and rank among our best forage
plants. The later while not yet so well
known, is rapidly coming to the front
Having had some six or eight years ex-
perience in growing and harvesting the
Florida clover is perhaps the reason this
subject was given to me.
Florida clover, otherwise known as beg
gar weed, has been known and grown in
Georgia and the northern part of Florida
for several years. When 1 came to Win
ter Park about ten years ago, l found the
the grove which came into my care, about
one-half acre of this clover BY scatter
ing the seed on new land a little every
year. the twenty-five acres were soon well
seeded, and We have been able TO harvest
each year all the hay that was needed for
several head of stock, while the surplus
This sample which you see here was
taken from my barn this morning. and
shows an article grown and cured in a
correct manner, and which stock will eat
with great relish. This was grown on land
thickly seeded and was cut before it was
grown too long. Truth also compels me
to state that this other sample was also
taken from my NOV, but it shows an in
ferior article. 1t was grown on land
thinly seeded, and allowed to grow too
long before cutting, and then getting wet
at the time it was ready for the barn.
AS a hay plant. green forage and land
enricher it has no equal. 1t often grows
to hight of eight to ten feet, but a thick
stand tends to dwarf the hight and makes
better hay. A very serious mistake is
made in allowing it to grow too tall be-
fore cutting, as the stems grow too large,
and many of the lower leaves fall off
thus making an inferior article of hay If
one wishes to grow this in his grove. he
can cut one crop each year, allowing the
last crop to go to seed, thereby seeding
the land for the next years crop and
enriching it very materially by the decay
ing roots and vegetable matter, which can
be plowed under any time in the fall
winter or early spring.
If one has only few acres where he
wishes to grow forage for the forage only
he can sow the seed in April or May and
can cut two or three crops each year, thus
getting two or three tons of first-class hay
per acre. 1t is one of the best things to
feed green to cows giving milk, making a
first-class article of both milk and butter
l have also noticed that hens are very
fond of this plant, eating the young and
tender leaves with great avidity, and thus
saving a good deal in the feed DILL. 1t is
well known that a greater number of eggs
can be produced with a diet largely COM
posed of green vegetable matter.
We have here samples of both the clean
ed and uncleaned seed. The seed is clean
ed by the removal of the outside cover, ng
or hull by very ingenious machine made
especially for that purpose. This seed
will germinate very readily and can be
sown any time from April to June. The
ground should be well prepared by pIowing
and narrowing to a smooth and even sur
face. The seed should be sown broadcast
at the rate of about eight to ten pounds TO
the acre, and the land then narrowed again
and rolled, although the latter is not abso-
lutely necessary. The rough sesd does
not germinate as readily as the cleaned
seed and should therefore be sown in the
fall or early spring at the rate of fifteen
pounds per acre.
The curing of this plant so as to make a
good quality of hay is the hardest. problem
we have in connection with it, as our rainy
season usually comes az time when this
clover is at its best for making hay and
as / have said before If allowed to grow
too long il makes a poor article.
If one has several acres, / think il
wise plan to SOW at different times Plant
at intervals of two weeks portion of the
land. thus having It in the right condition
for cutting at different times. When one
is pretty sure of good weather cut with a
mower from two to three O'clock in the
afternoon, and allow il to remain until
the next afternoon, when il will be i'm
good condition for the NOV. A good thing
to have on hand is a few dozen hay caps
which can be placed over the hay cocks
thus protecting them to a great extent
The seed of Florida clover can be procured
of most of our seedmen The cleaned seed
costing about twenty-five cents a pound
+. o. b., and the uncleaned about fifteen.
l trust and feel sure the time is not far
distant, when we shall not only raise all
the frst-class hay we consume but will in
a large measure supply the southern cities
with the same article and thus have a
sure and profitable income from this
source. c. II. Ward.