The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1902-01-18
FARMER AND PLANTER.
GRASS AND ITS CULTURE.
A Farm Product Upon which the
Southern Farmer Places Too
Little Value.


fact that each and every ton of ordi-
nary meadow hay contains AVA
pounds of nitrogen, 11H pounds OF
phosphoric acid, and 42h pounds OF
potash, it would stand to reason
that where two tons of hay, which
of course would contain double the
amounts of nitrogen, phosphoric acid
and potash mentioned above, are re-
moved from an acre of ground, annu-
ally for ten, fifteen, twenty or twen-
ty-five or more years, it would take
no great stretch of the Imagination
to enable one to answer above query
most decidedly and emphatically in
the affirmative.
But without any guess work in the
amounts of nitrogen, phosphoric acid
and potash mentioned above, annually
for ten, fifteen, twenty or twenty-five
or more years, it would take no great
stretch of the imagination to enable
one to answer above query most de-
cidedly and emphatically in the af-
firmative.
But without any guess work in the
matter, we would refer the reader to
the simple facts in the case.
The universal experience of hay
raisers the country over, is, that even
on the most fertile of soils, the yield
Of grass, where no manure of fertil-
izers are applied, becomes annually,
slowly, but surely, less and less, until
the weary, tired and starving acres
refuse to yield sufficient amount of
grass to justify running the mower
over it.
For lack of sufficient quantity of
suitable nutrition, the more valuable
of the grasses die out and useless and
pernicious weeds usurp their place.
Many weeds seem to thrive on hun
ger, but this certainly can not be
said of any of the grasses. 1t is a
great mistake, and one that many
otherwise good farmers have some
way fallen into, that grass needs no
manure, and that it is abundantly
able to take cars OF itself. No more
fatal mistake was ever made. Grass
must have plenty of plant food in
some form, or it will certainly per-
ish of pure starvation. 1t may die a
lingering death. and take more time
over it than some other plants, but
unless a liberalquantity of plant food
is obtained by it from some source, il
gradually goes down hill, and the an
nual yield becomes less and less, until
1t fails to pay to run the mower over
1t at all. As the grasses give out, as
stated above, useless and pernicious
weeds occupy the soil more and more.
Fcrtilize the soil, and the grasses and
even the clovers will take on a new
lease of life, pluck up fresh courage
and exterminate the weeds.
In spite of the fact that cotton,
corn and tobacco raisers spend the
greater part of their lives trying to
kill grass, as if it was their worst
enemy. rightly handled, it is their
very best friend, and the most money
saving crop that can possibly be
raised by the general farmer; seeding
and feeding being all that is neces-
sary to insure an annual and profit
able harvest.
Comparatively few farmers seem to
put proper valuation on grass. 1t
keeps work stock of all kinds in a
thriving condition.; it furnishes us
with beef, mutton, kid, wool, and re-
duces the cost of raising hog meat
ut least one-half; it gives us our semi
daily supply of milk and butter. II
does all this, and more, too, spring,
summer and fall, while in winter it
feeds the work stock and cattle of the
entire world. We feed our gardens
literally, because we expect to derive
quite considerable portion of our
sustenance therefrom. Our eyes are
wide open as to the benefits accruing
from a good garden, but we seem to
willingly and willfully close them
when it comes to portion of the
farm that furnishes ten bites to the
gardens one.
Is this rational, judicious and wise
policy?
To some extent we are writing this
for the benefit of the general farm
err, because we believe that in slight
ing the manurial requirements of his
grass crop, whether pasture or
meadow. hence causing untold suffer.
ing on the members of the brute ere
alton committed to his care and keep.
& ing, he is doing what he does through
Ignorance. 1t is mainly for the ben.
eft Of the poor, helpless, long-suffer'
ing and patient brutes themselves that
we are-writing.
Many time we have seen patches
{ of ground fenced in and dignified by
the appellation of pastures, that were
for months almost as bare of grass
MS the center of public road, while
every bush and sapling therein was
browsed as high as the poor three
parts-starved animals could reach.
S. Were it necessary, or unavoidable
for pastures to get in this fix, we