The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-12
|CASSAVA AND VELVET BEAN
 BEING GROWN IN FLORIDA
Their Cultivation Bids Fair to Work RenarKaDle ChangeS--A Land Which is Entirely
 Self-SuppOrting.

ing the crop Careful cultivation IS nec- essary until about the middle oI July' when it so shades the ground that grass stops growing and the crop IS laiu oy. II reauires but moderate fertilization, two hundred and fifty to five hundred pounds being used per acre. The fertilizer shoula contain about per cent phoSphoic dclu' per cent ammonia and per cent potasn: The crop is harvested by first cutting or the stalks with a hoe almost six inches above the ground, these being oedoea TOT seed before frost comes.
 The tubers cannot be plowed out or harvested by machine, they are, now ever, tvery near the surface and are cas- fly pulled by hand, the butt or the stalk serving as a handle for this purpose. The cost of hand harvesting does not exceed 60 cents per acre It shouid De I.te narTes.et tt only as used, light frosts not hurtlng It so long as it remains in the ground. Its food and feeding value lies in Its very high percentage of starch. Whlch exceeds that of any similar crop. The cost or pro duction should not exceed Slo per acre Weight for weight it has one-half the | feeding value of corn Its comparative | food value is six times that or the amount | of corn that can be produced on the same | area of land It Is greedily eaten by all | animals including cattle hogs, horses and | poultry. It should be fed to all classes or animals instead of being harvested by l them.
 | in Florida using cassava as their raw ma | terial, paying the farmers $0.ou to 20 per | ton Each factory consumes from 5vO 10 | l,UuO acres annually
 | As the South Americans use 1t largely for food it may be interesting to know
 that 1t makes delightful hot bread. egg | bread, hot cakes, waffles and frltteTs as
 well as buildings. The genuine taploca ol | commerce is all produced from CassaVa,
 The food Is prepared by grating the root
 and using the product like flour or meal
 The root, of course, must be peeled before | grating. ,.,
 People are equally well satisfied with
 the velvet bean and believe to the fulesi
 extent in its value as food crop lol | stock. The two products fed together
 make according to those who are inIoriri- .!l,rl
 ed on the subject an ideal and satsl lylhs
 ration For fattening cattle the bean
 has given immense satisfaction. II re-
 auires the same sort of soil as CassaVa
 and cannot be successfully cultivated IT
 d higher latitude than Montgomery.
 The beans are planted in drills or fur.
 rows 1-2 fet apart They are dr9ppeo
 IS inches apart. two in place: It re,
 quires from one to two pecks of beans pei
 acre. Light fertilizng is desirable, ou,
 there must be no amonia used. Aciu U. aist ,Isl
 Kainit to the extent of POO pounds to tht
 acre Is about the usual quantlty uset
 here. From the middle of March to th'
 middle of April Is the time Tor plantlht
 and corresponds with that Tor corn plSht
 ing. Shallow cultivation with sweep ool
 hoe is required about twice. The yiel'
 Is about thirty bushels of beans and thre'
 tons of hay per acre. The hay & IS
 very superior article. Horses Will no ; eat inc beans. but eagerly devour thu hay. It Is an all season crop and thu beans will not mature before October, ,s ,egn.. nasture for cows. In that case 1t is bes , p[t' pot to cut m the vines, but let the bean , ripen on them and die on the ground, nd, Cattle and hogs will feed on them al winter, s ,,,xo , As land renovator the beans and vine 2 are invaluable. Dr. Stockbrldge says tn a actual fertilizer returned to the groush : | by one acre of velvet beans ploWed unoe a Is equivalent to 1000 pounds Of cotto 2 | seed meal. . .- 2 Two crops of Cassava or velvet pean 1 should not be attempted on the same lah f | in succession. but other land used.
 Perhaps these two things can pc sue ? cessfully cultivated in great deal ? he land in Alabama that Is south ah
 southeast of Montgomery.