Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-04-16

run, as they will take everything in
reach.
Common beggar-lice, another le-
gume of which there is variety that
grows larger than the ordinary one,
makes fine hay, enriches the soil and
does not run like the pea. Bermuda
grass is the most important forage in
this land. 1t will pasture twice as
much stock to the acre as will an
acre of blue grass and rightly han
died will enrich man. 1t should
be cultivated by plowing every two
or three years and 10 decidedly the
best pasture grass in America.
johnson or Means grass is the best
hay grass in the South and the worst
pest in the world. Like Bermuda,
it should be plowed every two or
three years. Nut grass Is not to be
considered ; its only virtue is that it
forces lazy man to work. Keep it
from making green leaves for two
seasons and it will die. This same
principle will rid you of wire grass
shade it to death. Plow land in
winter, SOW down in oats; plow
again and SOW in peas or velvet beans.
This process will kill out these grasses.
Alfalfa, more commonly known as
lucerne, is great hay crop, and when
successful will give two or three
crops a year. 1t does not succeed
80 well here, but if tried it should be
sown now and cultivated in summer
to keep the grass down until the
lucerne is we'll rooted.
These are some of the varieties
best adapted to summer grazing. For
winter grazing, the speaker reco-
m3nded rye and rescue grass, the last
being an especially fine grass. Orchard
grass ought to be more cultivated
than it is, while Texas bluegrass is
another variety well worthy of our
attention.
DR.. Spillman announced that he
had with him lot of different forage
seeds for distribution. These we're
to be tried by those who applied for
them and the result must be reported
to the department., whether the trial
is successful or not. This is the
condition upon which these seeds
are distributed and should be strictly
observed.
Prof. Newman, Of Clemson Col
lege, followed DR.. Spillman and
spoke Interestingly on the general
subject of building up our waste
lands. Prefatorily to his remarks
he urged all farmers to send for
copies of the bulletins issued by
Clemson College, and also to attend
the institutes, both general and
special, which are held annually at
the college.
The necessity of humus to the soil
was the pivotal point of Prof. New
name address, and suggestions how
that may be provided were given.
Every country has had its period
of destruction. We have had that
period and must now begin the
period of reconstruction. We must
of necessity do this or give up hopes
of getting any satisfactory return
from the soil for our labor. The
only remedy, the only mode of giving
to the soil the necessary amount of
humus is more stock and more grass.
This is as true now as it ever has
been. To restore wornout lands,
you must supply the humus. The
illustrations of this statement abound
on every hand. The exhausted to-
bacco lands of Virginia, which have
been restored to fertility by this
method, were cited as one illustra-
ton. We must protect our lands at
all seasons, but especially in winter,
which is the period of greatest injury
to land. There is no such thing as
completely exhausted soil, but in too
many cases there is great deficiency
of humus, inasmuch as we have
worked the organic matter out of the
soil. We must now restore it in
order to put the elements of food in
a soluble condition, 80 that the plant
may drink them in. 1t is not an
easy problem, but requires work and
much study. "The more learn"
said the speaker, "the more | see
that is to be learned. There is an
endless amount of work ahead of as"
How shall this organic matter be
o rkok - IL f.