Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-08-10
GROWING WHEAT FOR HAY.
THE MOST ECONOMICAL CROP THE SOU.
THERN FARMER CAN PRODUCE.
GIVES MORE SATISFACTORY RETURNS.
Experimenting With tho Cultivation OF Wheat
I0r Hay--Big Price Per Ton. t.

Some Southern farmers are ex-
perimenting with the cultivation of
wheat for hay, and one Of them
writes thus to the Southern Cultiva-
tor: .,
have grown and cut wheat for
hay for the last five years, and have
never found or saved q crop that
gave more satisfactory returns. l
am farmer with twenty years ex-
perience. Wheat is the most easily
raised and also the most economical
crop o Southern farmer can produce.
1t grows at time when nothing
else is growing. From May S to 20
it can be moved and saved for hay,
cut in milk to dough stages. 1t is
The least trouble of any crop to cut,
cure and save and has more food
value than any other hay, and stock
relish and eat it clean. 1t will not
collie or scour stock or cattle. We
use it quite extensively about La
Grange since it's value has been dis
covered. Another advantage is that
it enables us to grow two crops each
year on the same land. The land
where grown can be fitted by June 1
for the succeeding erop. Wnen
grown for market it has proven very
profitable, as it comes at time
when hay is scarce--a month ahead
of oats. Many men will say that
oats are preferable, but when they
try the two crops side by sido they
will decide in favor of wheat, be-
ccuse it is a sure crop, benefits the
land, comes a month earlier, and is
no trouble to cure. If oats get wet
they will mold wheat will not.
Stock eat the wheat up clean; not
so with oats. Try it for yourself ;
"seeing is believing"
[ follow my wheat with peas and
corn broadcast, One peck each per
acre. Crab grass comes along with
the corn and peas, which adds to the
value of the hay. We produce hero
from one to two tons of wheat hay
per acre, and about the same of corn
and peavino hay, and when baled it
sells readily at $15 to S2O per. ton.
There is never day but | sell to
some one hay of my own raising
from my livery barn in La Grange
quite often to farmers. Land that
will thrash ten bushels of wheat
will make one to one and half tons
OF wheat hay per acre. Our i.alm-
ers near town are fast turning their
attention to hay and grain, so that
there has not been Car of hay ship
ped to LAGRANGE in over two years.
Prior to that time vast quantities
of Northern hay were shipped here
annually. Wo have an excellent
hay and grass producing section, as
almost any grass docs we'll. We
have great advantage over the Sec
tions North of us, as they have to
save about all their forage crops iii
July. Last year started my mo r.
ing machine May s, cutting wheat
and the different grasses grown here,
viz: wheat, oats, Bermuda, crow
foot, German millet, the vetches,
crab grass, orchard grass, peas and
corn aad sorghum--every week until
frost, and found homo market for
all. Our lands are advancing in
value and our stock shows an i'm
proved condition over former years.
If all Southern farmers will make
and save sufficiency of home sup.
plies and just little to sell, and not
devote their time and enc rg les all to
one crop, our Sunny South will come
to the front, our young men will not
leave the farms, and our agricultural
DrOblom will he aolved