The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1899-09-23
Gulf Coast Possibilities.

| The following able article by
one of Harrison county's broad and
deep thinking farmers was kind
" loaned US by Mr.. LELAND j..
Henderson and we ask every
reader a careful perusal of its
contents:
Pecan Grove, Miss, May 25, '99.
Leland j. Henderson,
Gulfport, Miss.
Dear Slr:-ln your praisewor-
thy efforts to make known to the
outside world the possibilities of
our God favored coast country, [
gladly submit my testimony for
what j, is worth. There being
those who are much better equip
ped to give testimony in regard to
truck farming. and believing that
the live stock interests of this
coast have not been, and are not
Isuficiently emphasized | will con-
fine myself to this subject. | have
a fair knowledge of the grazing
lands of Virginia, Kentucky and
Tennessee, where, as rule, one
head of stock is allotted to each
acre, and this acre is supposed to
support the allotment for six
months in the year. By actual
experiment know that each acre
of our coast lands will support,
and keep fat, one head of stock
for nine months in the year, leav-
ng but three months in the year
when it is necessary to feed. In
the item of houseing stock, all
have fully fifty per cent the ad.
vantage of any point north of
Mason and Dixon's line. l have
practical knowledge of only three
varieties Of grasses, bermuda
grass, carpet grass and lespedega,
and would not spend time or
money in testing any other grass
es, these three are good enough;
J they are here, and here to stay.
The carpet grass is indigenous tC
the soil, you neither have to plant
nor cultivate, and forms SOD
that no amount of tramping car
destroy.
The field crops to which the
soil is best adapted are corn, oats,
sugar cane and sweet potatoes
with ordinary cultivation corn and
oats will yield 25 to 80 bushels pei
acre, sweet potatoes 250 bushels
per acre, and, considering the
, hight thln soil, sugar cane grows tc
wonderful perfection. Owing te
the fact that CROPS mature very
rapidly, and consequently much
cultivation has to be done in 8
short space of time, intense farm.
ing and small acreage is the most
profitable; by intense farming the
above estimates can be about
doubled. Among the field crops
| | neglected to name Spanish Glow
er and the cow pea; Spanish Glow
er is to this section what the red
clover is to the north; not so good
for grazing, but the hay Is equal
in every respect. and the yield
greater than the best of red clover
lands north. As to the possibiIit-
les of the cow pea, the best
forage crop that grows out of the
earth, | don't think any one
knows; from a small experiment
made few years back | am con-
| fident five tons per acre would be
q conservative estimate, but this
plant, when grown to the full ca
pacity, is difficult to cure and vex-
ations to handle.
Our coast country is peculiarly
adapted to the dairy industry,
there is something in the resinous
salt sea breeze favorable to the
| preservation of milk and butter
Some years back, early in the
month of July, | sent package
of jersey butter to the Dairy
| World" at Chicago, the editor
procured five Of the best samples
| of dairy butter to be found in the
city and had a little butter show
on his own account. Comment
ing on the matter in his paper he
used this language; "though hav-
ing been badly abused and the
package broken by the Express
Company during the long hot
ride, the Mississippi article knock
led the Chicago samples into 6
cooked hat My butter got the
highest possible score on the col
or paint. I mention this because
it is contended that our southern
grasses will not give to butter that
rich color and high flavor which II
obtains from the grasses farther
north. have been dairying, in 8
small way, on this coast for fifteen
years and never saw an ounce OF
butter color of any kind i'll ny
life.
As to the general health and
thrift of all kinds of live stock
this coast is equal to any section
or any latitude. 1t will probably
interest some who may read this
to know that the Lake Wool
they used to see quoted in the
Boston market at 10 to 20 per cent
higher than other woods was al
crown on this coast. The range
IS eated out, the wool Is not pro-
duced, and unfortunately oul
people have not the enterprise tc
90 to sheep farming in decent
way, so Lake Wool is a back
number.
Here, as elsewhere, barn-yard
manure is the subustructure of al
fertilizing, of the commercial fer
tilizers: bone meal Is easily the
best. but lime should not be ne
\ elected. especially on new land,
Notion seed meals prime favorite
In ,-o+ bo,, n tonic han