The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-07-29
BETTER THAN LUGERNE"
Col. Aldrich's Combination Forage
Crop of Bermuda, vetch and
Rye-yeIvet Beans from Carolina Seed
How to Discourage Nut Grass.

To the Editor of The News and
Courier: Responding to your request
that I would state my reasons for as
serting that Bermuda grass, native
vetch and rye in combination furnish
something "better than lucerne," l
will premise by saying that | wish to
be understood as applying my state
ments to the latitude of Middle South
Carolina. Never having farmed on
the red clay soils of the Piedmont
section, or the level, insuficiently
drained low-lands of the coast, | am
unprepared to say that the forage or
grazing crops best adapted to Barn
we'll, Aiken, Orangeburg, Colleton,
Hampton, Sumter, Lexington, Rich
land and some other counties would
be equally valuable and satisfactory
for Anderson and Greenville, or Char
lesion and Berkeley. I am confident
that the double-barrelled SYSTEM of
cultivating corn and cotton together
will be found to suit every soil and
| climate in which these two crops
grow, for that is demonstrable in
point, as it has been to the visual OBJ
servation of many sceptics during the
past three years. But to return to
Bermuda grass, vetch and rye. First,
| there is no grass that will stand more
persecution in the way of close graz
ing and tramping5 in wet and dry
weather, than Bermuda. Second, there
is no grass, not even the far famed
blue grass of Kentucky, that is of finer
quality or more nutritious. Third,
there is no grass that will furnish in
time Of drought the same quantity OF
nourishment for stock. Stick a big
pin there. AS rule, there is great
deal of dry, hot weather in the course
of an average South Carolina summer.
So much for Bermuda grass. Now,
having few acres set in Bermuda,
which is easily done, hire some old
Charleston "Mauma" to go up along
the ditch banks of the phosphate
works in the month Of May and pick
several quarts of native vetch seed at
seventy-fve cents or dollar per quart
the only sure way of getting vetch
seed. And in September plough In a
bushel of rye and two to eight quarts
of vetch seed per acre; in other words,
all the vetch you have succeeded in
securing, into your Bermuda patch,
after having broken up the sod thor
oughly, and harrow and roll the land.
In April, between the 10th and 10th
of the month, the rye being about five
feet in height, cut it with cradle or
mower, cure and put it IN your barn.
There is very little finer forage than
rye at that stage. Later it becomes
coarse and woody.
In few days after the rye has been
cut the vetch and aftermath OF rye
will commence most vigorous growth
together, and by the middle or latter
part of May there will be grand
growth of rye and vetch; the latter
from three to four feet high, clinging
to the rye stalks, ready for the mower.
This cutting will equal in quantity
anything in the shape of forage that
grows on land and will be satisfactory
in Quantity. The butter from COWS
fed on it is the finest that can be
made. Very soon after this second
crop of forage is harvested, the Ber-
muda grass will be seen to be spring
ing up in succulent spears, and by the
middle of June there will be available
for the balance of the summer wealth
of magnificent pasturage fully equal
to the finest Kentucky blue grass.
In September only the rye will have
to be sown again, as the Bermuda is
perennial and the vetch reseeds the
ground.
The editor of The News and Courier
will now see whether I claim too much
for Bermuda grass, when | say that it
is 'sfar better than lucerne. -
Some years ago, at the suggestion OF
nv friend, the late Gen. johnson Ha-
good, I experimental with lucerne.
he was doing the same thing, and we
both were at the same time "prollck-
ing'' with Bermuda. Both Of US
abandoned lucerne, though it made
very fine hay and was excellent for
soiling both COWS and horses, in favor
of Bermuda. For many years before
he died Gen. Hagood operated profit
ably Bermuda grass and hay farm,
near Saluda, old town. l would not
contend that for some soils and eli
mates lucerne would not surpass Ber-
muda, but for Middle South Carolina
there is hardly comparison possible.
Some cautious, not to say timid, far
mers may be afraid that, having in
troduced Bermuda grass, they could
not get rid of it, if for any reason
they might wish to reclaim the land
set in it. 1t is groundless fear. Two
crops of velvet beans will completely
subdue it, and the land whereon it
grew will, with moderate application
of acid phosphate, produce over
bale of cotton per acre. Because !
have referred to velvet beans as a soil
renovator only, let it not be supposed
that they have no other value. For
stock food they are equal Of COW peas.
The butchers of Florida pay more for
cattle fattened on velvet beans than
on any other kind, and to those melon
growers who plant velvet beans in
their melon fields, they pay two dollars
per acre for the use of their fields to
pasture cattle on till the beans are
consumed.
This was told by those travelling
Barnwell truck farmers, the Easter
ling Brothers, who plant melons in
Florida and do merchandise business
in South Carolina. This paper is per-
haps already extended sufficiently, but