The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-18
The Hay Crop.

The importance Of the hay crop to the
Southern farmer was never so much in ev-
idence as it is this year when dry weather
has cut all the spring crops down to the
lowest point ever known, but with the
rains that are 50 sure 10 come to US IN July
ana August We can make amends Ga our
forage crops at leasO by preparing to get
all the hay possible from the crab grass
growth that is so certain to spring up all
throughout our cultivated fields, says The
Florida AgTiculturist. Grab grass is look
81 upon by great number Of our far
mcrs az IA unmitgated nuisance, and they
spend at least three months Of every year
in trying 10 get rid Of il, but it really is
one of the best things the Southern farmer
mas got IL properly utilized and converted
into hay al the proper stage Of its growth.
Stock are all very fond of il and analysis
shows that its feeding value ranks high.
As already said IL grows spontaneously
in our cultivated fields and the general
practice is 20 let il take care of itself af-
ter the crops are made, and if it is rank
enough in growth after a while it Is cut
for hay, If not 1t is allowed TO rot where
1t grows, and there is no doubt but there
are thousands upon thousands of dollars
worth thus allowed to go to waste every
year, that with a little care and fore
thought could be made into a source Of
profit. Every season for the last number
of years I have made the crab grass a spe-
c!al study and given st particular care and
the longer / do this the more I am pleased
with results.
All our cultivated crops such as corn
should be cultivated on the level, and when
those crops are removed the land is left
in condition for the easy cutting of the
crab grass that viii follow. If at the last
blowing a top dressing of kainit al the rate
OF six to eight hundred pounds per acre is
bfOadcasted ii viii result In increased pro-
duction and superior quality. Nitrate of
soda is recommended strongly as top dress
ing for grasses of all kinds, and while it
Is good and stimulates a ranker growth
than kainit perhaps, the quality of the
product is not at all of the high quality
that the potash in the kaiuit produces. Hay
from KANT or muriate~of potash as top
dressing on the land gives an exceptionally
solid sweet and easily cured product and
| win give at least ten to twenty per cent.
more weight of cured hay in proportion
to green weight than nitrate of soda VIII.
oar stubble plowed under and a top dress
ing of kainit applied at the time will give
/ line results. After blowing il the land
should be made as smooth as possible
either by narrowing or rolling Or both be-
cause If the land is rough the crop can
not be cut as closely as necessary, and
| long stubblc is just SO much waste of good
cannot afford to waste any one thing, not
even hay stubble. Any land that the far
mer has. if it has been in cultivation for
a few years If plowed during July or Au-
gust and treated as already recommended
VIII make a good crop Of hay ready to cut
in September, and should the
fall months turn out to
be wet more than one cutting can be made
from the same land. on some soils pur-
slane gets very much in evidence to the
exclusion Of crab grass, while this makes
very good green feed II is not desirable
for curing purposes. 1t can easily be dis
posed Of by blowing il under just as 1t
blossoms and by doing this wherever and
whenever it shows Itself we can be sure
Of a better crop Of crab grass to follow it.
There is one strong point in favor of us
ing kanit freely for a hay crop lin fact
for nearly every kind of crop and that is,
its drouth resisting qualities and should
dry weather again overtake the land that
is in grass for the hay crop, if kainit has
been freely added to the soil il will not
be so apt to suffer as soils without it, Our
spring drouth gave us many an object
lesson along this line, and If we dld suf-
fer from shortage in some crops we learn
ed the lesson that where potash salts were
used the crops were best because the soil
retained the moisture far better than the
soil without the salts. We are favored IN
the South with long season to make
crops In, and il the early crops suffer
from any cause we have time to profit
from the lesson given as cause of failure
to make another crop or crops. The eN-
cessive dry weather of our spring months
should be a strong cause or reason to try
and make up the loss thus sustained from
the fall crops. Hay Is one sure crop to
Nhelp US out If we take the proper steps