The morning news., 1899-05-15
Permanent bermuda Grass Land for
the Southern States.

IT was my Tot, says a correspondent OF
the Southern Planter, when young man.
to live in a country famous for its perma-
pent grass lands, and know, from expe-
rience. their importance and value Inc
hunnid and moderate cl,male of Great
Britain and ireland is very suitable TO the
growth of the true grasses. Inc Sous
there hundreds of years old, are prIus
and glory. IL is almost Impossible 70 set
such grasses in this drier and more sunny
cline, but there is a grass OF great hu-
triton and pala atabil.ty that VIII gro"
well and remain forever, ii IL is once
started; this is Burmuda grass. why not
plant land in the Southern states in this
grass? There are thousands of acres, now
almost worthless, which would become
valuable if they were in permanent Bermu-
da. If an acre wiz support calf, say OF 400
pounds, during the grazing season or SIX
months, and il gains in weight lS9 pounas
this gain, at cents per pound; would
bring a gross revenue from the acre OF
$40. After deducting, say 80 cents for al
tendance, taxes, ETC., we would get net
income of $40 per acre. All the rough
and hiliy lands on the farm, the worn-out
fields, and lands alongside creeks subject
to overflow in summer, would be much
more profitable to The owners if in Ber-
nude grass, and a great check would be
put to erosion, which is now going on to
a frightful extent over large areas. Such
lands as above described pay little II any
thing now If half the cleared lands were
In permanent grass and well grazed, aud
the other half well attended to and prop
erly cropped, the net returns from South
ern lands might be doubled. With lands
so fixed, farming would take on pastoral
character much needed, the stock kept
bo fnrr cd fn
of the cultivated lands and the grain
crops, and a mixed system of farming es-
tabiished, which has always been con-
sidered the most desirable and economical
way of using lands.
In this neighborhood, the woven wire
and picket fence has proved q perfect dog
stopper. This fence, five feet high, with
four wires, costs about 25 cents per rod
to build, the wood being found ON the
land. A farm surrounded by this picket
fence is dog proof, and no one need fear
for his sheep when so protected. This APP
pears to me very simple way of curing
the trouble of sheep being killed or wor-
ried by dogs.
l agree with you that the South is very
suitable for the production of sheep. Ber-
muda grass for summer pasturage, and
corn and cow peas grown together, and
used as silage for main winter food,
seems to me almost an ideal feeding for
breeding ewes. We cannot grow turnips
here as in the "old country" but we
can grow to perfection corn for silage,
and I would rather have one ton of silage
than two of turnips Who can imagine
a better chance? And then we have the
highly nitrogenous concentrated foods.
such as soy beans, COW peas, and cotton
seed meal to give Gin addition to the sill
age) to our lambs, wethers or old ewes,
to make fat mutton. Really, the oppor-
tunitites are most favorable not only for
raising sheep in great numbers, but also
to finish such as we wish for the butcher
Mutton would be eaten much more If a
good article were supplied; and 1 feel
sure 1t could be, and at a handsome prof
II