The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-11-05
Live Stock.
SHEEP IN THE SOUTH.


all the Time-Has Been Hated; it Spreads
ItseH-ItS Tenacity, Virtues, Culture-Is
Hard to Cure-Good for silage-Rsnewed
Pasture or Meadow Easy and surs-Analy-
sis Of Bermuda Grass.
Correspondence Of The Progressive Farmer.
It has been urged that the oharac-
ter of the grasses of the cotton States
is such that they are not at all suit
able for sheep. I must contradict
suoh statements. If it were true that
sheep could not live and thrive on
other grass than June grass, blue
grass, timothy, red clover, etc., or
grass that form heavy turfs, then it
might be true.
have seen sheep fat and full on
the wild, uncultivated pastures of
the South, and on worn out land and
pine lands where they had beard
grass, Bermuda, Japan clover, crab,
comb, muskit, avn, rice, bent, reed,
these in varieties and others num-
bering over a hundred that have
seen.
Of the cultivated grasses they may
get Bermuda, timothy, red top, fox
tail, rye grass, orchard, blue, and
June grass, olovers, oat, fescue and
meadow grass, in varieties for pas
lures and peas, beans, millets, sor-
ghums, rape and corns in great
abundance for soiling feed or silage
or fodder.
The summers are long and there is
not one in which winter feed cannot
be amply provided either in early,
late or midsummer, especially where
silos are used.
The blue grass of Kentucky, Mis-
souri,, the Virginias, Tennessee, etc.,
is the cold reliable for that region,
but for the better cotton States
South it will not do to rely on for
sheep husbandry.
These States can rely upon grow
ing either early or late every season
by sowing and cultiyating the last
mentioned grasses and folders
abundantly, and for all winter feed
ing, and for summer feeding, too,
when necessary.
Time and space will not permit
that write of alfalfa, rape, vetoh,
kaffir corn, soy bean and other i'm
provements as sheep food. The
wide awake husbandman will try
to adopt such things as he shall
find better than what have written
about. Besides this, I should in
most part be writing about things of
which I personally and practically
know but little.
One thing do know is that any or
all Of these that prove to be of high
value in the North and West will
surely find congenial home of use
fulness in extensive portions of the
Southern States. have aimed at
showing that there is abundant foun-
dation for sheep husbandry in the
South without these but with them
the business is still greater.
However, there is one grass in the
South I must write of specially. It
is Bermuda (CynOdOn d0ctyLo'o.) l
have not had experience with it ex-
cept temporarily, but have been
greatly interested in observing it
and on inquiries.
It seems to be native to the West
Indies and have thought that if the
rich hills and mountains of Cuba had
no other grass than Bermuda and
had plenty of that, it would be the
best pastoral section for sheep in
either. of the Americas. When it
gets we'll set it never ceases to grow
except in the northern part of the
Gulf States, where freezing checks
it and hard freezing kills it out
[ first noticed it in Mississippi in
1886, and to me it seemed more like
sugar cane because its ap
pearance and habit of growth are
rather similar and both evidently
tropical. / saw bunch of sheep
eating it with seeming relish and was
told they grew fat on it. From that
time on took notes of it and have
seen it growing in Texas, Louisiana,
Georgia, South and
North Carolina, Eastern Virginia
and Tennessee.
It has a smooth jointed stem,
partly sheathed with leaf that is
long in proportion to joints, but slim
and pointed rather hairy or rough |