The age-herald., 1902-04-27
CONDUCTED
 BY F. s. WHITE.
Foraae. crops and Grass.

O'a aHOy OTOpS auu GfdcSs
 Tho season is near at hand for sowing crops for hay. The lands for these crops should have been prepared for these crops sven before this. Yet. if the work has been neglected it can yet be dons. The subject of forage crops is attracting the attention of tho farmers more this sea- non than ever before, and well it may, Tor the value of these crops and the inn portanoe of growing them and having Feed at home has been forcib1y impressed upon the farmers this season by the high prices which he has had to pay for all feed
 The farmer should be as near self sus- taining possible That is, he should come ss near producing at home what he needs in way of feed for both man and beast his lard and surroundings will permit. It IS not necessary to take tune In springtng the old chestnut on the farm CT of growing toe much cotton and not though feed but 1t certainly is poor econ- orny for the Alabama farmer to be grow Ing to pay for hay when we have many valuable hay plants which can be grown and made to yield heavy crops of hay. ann out a great deal among the farmers g1d I find a disposition often to make the hay crop secondary consideration, and the setting apart for the hay land
  until June. or some corner or out of the Nay place, or some of the poorest land on the farm. The work of preparing the lSra for hay Is often left off and neglect cd until all the other crops are planted and out of the way. Is there any wonder that there is so little hay grown and Bowcd where this state of farming Is practiced7
 Then, again, we should not be at all surprised when we hear farmers say that this or that plant is no good for this sec tion or for their farms. Before any plant Is condemned 1t should have fair trial on our best lands, and under the very best system of cultivation and the crops plant cd at the proper season, and the hay cut at the right time, cured and put up in tne proper manner. We have an occa- sicaai season when it Is almost impossi- bic to find time between showers of rain t. cut cure and put up hay. Such was the case last season, and this partly ac- counts for such a shortage in our home supply of feed. Farmers have to take their chances in these matters of weather conditions in all parts of the country and 1t would be d difficult matter in att tempting to advise when to plant so as to meet d favorable season for harvest Ing.
 The first of our valuable forage plants Which I will here mention is sorT lm The sorghum plant for a forage crop has been gaining favor fast for the last few years. Not only in the South, but in all parts of the country. The fact that the plant Is one of our greatest drouth re- sisting plants. I had the opportunity Of seeing fully demonstrated last season in the west where they had the severest drolth and hot weather ever known. l rnedc trip through the greatest agri- cultural district of the west In time or this drouth, when everything was scorch- cd and burned and nothing green left ex- cept the sorghum and occasionally helo Of coxs peas of which I shall have more to say further on. But wherever there Wag a field of sorghum. there was green streak to break the monotony Of parched and dried fields. The western farmer who sowed sorghum had crop Of hay Tor hls stock.
 This fact has caused the farmers of the west to conclude to plant largely of sor- .whum this year, and preparations are be- ing rnafe for the largest acreage or thls droutb resisting plant ever before known in the west. The demand for the seed IS simply enormous, and owing to the great shortage in the seed crop of last season the demand far exceeds the supply. Farmers are surprised at the high price sve ara asking for the seed and seem not to understand the situation. The reasons stated are the ones responsible Tor the htgh prices and I would adV1se all Wno intend to SOW sorghum for hay to secure -oi,r. supply of seed at once The great s,,nn,v of sorghum seed which has been ,,.ed in the South the past few seasons has mostly come from the West, ana ;ergely. from Kansas and Nebraska. These states are TOW buyers of cane seed ln- stesd of sellers. The entire supply or csne seed in sight will all be sold long pe- fore the season for sewing Is past
 1,he writer Is in direct touch with the Western farmers, as we'll as being well rosted on the market conditions. ana so 1. well able to give She true conditions .r to the supply and demand Of the crop of care eeed, and l give this timely nlnt 90 that farmers may secure seed or this yaluable plant in time, for those who put ,>rf bayias until late will be in the same sondition of the farmers who neglected to ia1. in scnd potatoes early. Potatoes have moi only advanced in price, but good seed Ia now practically out or the market. This state of the seed potato market l also rredicted in fcriner article. made
 trir through the great potato-growing .sotlons and I knew that there would De o greet.shortage. We are having as great . Sdenaand now for seed potatoes as at any lima during the season, ond not po- tsto to offer; and we expect to De In the aame boat on cane seed long before the season is past
 Soil.
 Sorghum, like all other plants, wants .ood land and while poor crop or sor- sham hay may be grown on poor land' vet much better crop can be grown on rood land. Any land that will grow Sood crop of our common field corn will also produce a good crop of sorghum hay But the land should be well pre- nsred by deep blowing and thorough pull xerizing before planting. Right here, all- low me 10 stop to explain again what l mean by deep blowing for fear aoine one may be mislcd in this matter. I do not mean or believe in turning up the sub soil. but where the land Is thin turn shal- low but sub-soil deep and form d good, deep bed before sowing the seed. The deep working of the soil should all be cone for most crops before the planting. Now. do not want to be accusedef writ ing in a spirit of criticism. but rather be considered as siving only good advise, and I certainly do try and want these ar ticles to be of value 10 at least some of our careless farmers So allow me to say that when I see some efforts which have been made at growing forage crops I am rot at all surprised at failures or that I fad so many unsatisfactory reports of