The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-14
Notes for the Farm.
The Southern Planter


The weather since We wrote the arr
ticle on Work for the Month for the Feb
ruary issue has been of such character
throughout nearly the whole of the
South that we might safely content our
selves this month by saying, refer to the
February issue and carry out the advice
there given during the present month. .
There has not, we believe, been a day
since we wrote that article when farmers
anywhere in the South could have done
any of the work in the land which we
then advised to be done in February. 4
From every section, yea even from the
Tidewater section of this State and
North Carolina, We have the same re-
ports, hard freezing weather and snow"
This is an abnormal condition of affairs
in the South, and is bound to cause much
Inconvenience and loss to farmers. Work
is going to be crowded into two months
that ought to have occupied four and
however genial the spring may be when
it opens up, there is going to be more
work to do than there is time to do it in,
if anything like the average area of crop
is to be planted. Another serious ques-
ton is also going to confront farmers.
From almost every section we have COM
plant of the destruction of the wheat
and winter oat crops. Much of these
were sowed late and in very dry ground,
and hence failed to terminate before the
winter set in or at best just only made
a start The snow did not fall in suffi-
cient quantity to cover the land until we
had had much hard frost, and hence we
are afraid that very large areas will be
found killed. This will impose on the
farmer the cultivation of these addition
al areas of land which we thought he had
got out of the way until harvest, and
this when time presses is going to seri-
ously handicap him. We have numerous
inquiries as to what is best to be done
with these lands-to pillow again and re-
seed as soon as possible with grain, or to
put them in some other crop later?
Where the wheat and oats are killed
doubtless the grass and clover is killed
also. We are inclined to advise that no
attempt should be made to re-seed grain
largely, but that if during this month
the weather moderates early enough that
part only of these lands be re-seeded
with rust-prOof oats, and the residue
later be put into forage crops, such as
peas, soy beans, sorghum and forage
corn. Where the land was in good fer
tility and in fine physical and mechanical
condition when seeded we would advise
the seeding of grass and clover without
grain crop. These seeds may be put in
after only narrowing the land, thus saw
ing the time of blowing, and will be
likely if the spring be a genial one, to
make a good catch, and in that event,
make a good meadow or pasture before
fall. Harrow the seed in and then roll.
Grass and clover seeded alone are much
more likely to succeed than if sown with
a grain crop. If after the seeds have
made a good start the fields be top
dressed with rs to 100 pounds of nitrate
of soda to the acre this will materially
help them.
For a pasture on good, loamy soil, sow
a mixture of tall meadow oat grass, or
chard grass, meadow fescue, red top, Vir-
ginia blue grass perennial rye grass and
two quarts of red clover per acre. Sow
the grass seeds at the rate of two and
half bushels to the acre. On rich
bottom land, SOW either timothy or Ital-
ian rye grass, or a mixture of the two,
with two quarts of red clover per acre.
For meadow on good, lOamy soil, SOW
tall meadow oat grass, orchard grass,
perennial rye grass and two quarts of
red clover to the acre. Sow the grass
seeds at the rate of two and one-half
bushels 10 the acre. On light, sandy
land Hungarian broome grass will often
succeed where other grasses fail. John
son grass notwithstanding the fact that it
is so severely condemned by some writer's,
on account of its persistency of growth
and liability to spread where not wanted,
is, we believe, a crop likely to prove
valuable in the South, and if we had
piece of land which We desired to keep
in fodder crop permanently we should
give it trial. 1t is not really a grass,
but a perennial sorghum, and makes a
great yield of feed when established. 1t
should be sown thickly, say at the rate
of one to one and one-half bushels to the
acre, when the stalks will not be so
strong and coarse, which is one of the OBJ
| jections raised to It, 1t should be cut
before it comes into bloom, and thus
obviate any difficulty from the spreading
of the seed on land where it is not want
ed. 1t makes good grazing, and may be
killed out by very close grazing and
blowing up the roots afterwards exposing
to frost. Hogs are said to be fond of
| the roots, and thus may help to subdue
| it. Sow the seed this month. If the
| oats seeded and killed out were only in
tended for hay, this crop may we'll take
the place, and will very likely make
heavier yield of feed before winter than
the oats would have done.
Those who followed our advice and
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