The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-04
Agr1cuItural Department
CONDUCTED BY FULTON s. WHITE

| and so 1t is perpetuated in --es7z---- becoming worse each season until 1t be- comes necessary to blow 1t up and start new meadows. Other noxious weeds are also prevented from maturing seed they too are clipped before the seed be- comes ripe.
 Another good feature about this grass Is that 1t is very deep rooted, forms dense turf or mat, thus shading, protect ] ing and enrching the soil. 1t will come as near taking care of itself, after being once established, as any other of our l grasses All stock are fond of It. but 1 best results for pasturage Is to pasture closely and not allow it to grow up and become woody The best time to SOW orchard grass in the southern states is In the fall, the same as recommended for crimson clover Like all other clovers and grasses the soil or seed bed should be nude very fine. First blow deep, fer tilize well, then work the soil perfectly fine. When sown |. alone twenty-five pounds of clean new Need should be used l per acre. Orchard grass is often used In mixture of grasses, but as it will soon choke out all other grasses, it is best per haps to SOW 1t alone. However. if sown in the fall, I would use a nurse crop, about half bushel of rye per acre, but would not use less seed in consequence l Of using the rye. Orchard grass Is un-
 
 nastured or cut the first season, but al- lowed to grow and go to seed and the seed allowed to ripen and fall out on the ] ground
 There is one point that wish to i'm | press here, which Is that 1t never pays to use cheap clover or grass seed or to be | stingy in the sowing for 1t is always bet ter to sow more than enough, for where ' fine stand is secured at once there is
 less danger of weeds choking out the young plants.
 English Blue Grass.
 There is another very handy perennial l grass almost as fine as the orchard grass and like that grass 1t roots deeply into the ground, makes a dense growth of
 roots which enables 1t to withstand both l cold and hot weather and remains green 1 large part of the year. This is a com paratively new grass in many sections ! and Is often mistaken for the Kentucky i blue grass. It Is a much better grass than the bluegrass. grows larger and much longer, gives more pasture and 1 makes fine hay.
 This grass will grow on variety of soils, though rich, well prepared soil 1 suits 1t best. This grass is now spreading 1 all over Southwest Missouri, gradually working it's way south. The best time l to SOW this grass Is In the fall. Like or 1 chard grass, 1t should not be pastured or | and get a good hold. It should be cut for | hay when in full bloom The amount of 1 seed to SOW per acre depends somewhat on how well the soil has been prepared. i About fifty pounds will answer to secure a perfect stand. This will prove one of the very best grasses for North Alabama as well as for many other sections of the south and farmers will be well paid if | they will only prepare the soil and SOW 1 few acres.
 Benefits to Be Derived.
 I desire to call the attention of the | reader to some of the advantages and profits in growing clover grasses. In the 1 first place l want to state that no coun- ! try can ever become prosperous until It | is made grass, grain and stock country. | This is the only practical way for build ! ing up any country and for keeping up | the fertility of the soil Commencing with Southwest Missouri and going on south through Arkansas, Mississippi and | Alabama we find enough idle or unoccu- 1 pied land, which if set to clovers and grasses and properly managed would | bring to the country a large revenue. With work and the expenditure of some money these idle lands could all be
 brought into cultivation and made to 1 grow fine crops of clovers and grasses and this would bring the country to stock growing which is the greatest and most profitable industry for farmers to engage in,
 We will take sheep for instance and ask where there is country better adapt ed for sheep raising than that of the Ozarks in Southwest Missouri and the hills of North Mississippi and North Ala , bana. Take our wooded lands in these sections, put goats to clear out the underbrush and to fertilize the soil, and start grass to growing. Then when the brush is thinned out so that grass will grow, put on sheep, pasture with sheep until they make the soil rich enough to grow the fine grasses and clovers men tioned in these papers, get these started and then put on dairy cows, hogs, horses and mules.
 Recently while travelling through Cen tral Illinois, met a sheep grower. He said, "I want you to secure for me a ten thousand acre sheep ranch in South west Missouri. I have visited Southwest Missouri and was surprised at what I found in that section. A country where so many plants can be grown in winter for winter pasture is the place to grow sheep and I am going to move my sheep ranch from Wyoming to Missouri, for there I can grow for winter pasture, rye, barley, winter oats and vetch, crimson clover, orchard and English blue grass. Then there Is a large line of cheap for age plants that can be cheaply and easily grown, such as stock peas, soy beans, vetch and rape.
 | Now what this man has said of South west Missouri is equally true of. large : area of the hill sections of North Mis- sisslppi and North Alabama. All these sections are ideal dairy sections or can be made so, and there is no more prof. table industry today for the American farmers than the dairy business. When farmers once become engaged In this industry other stock growing will follow and our farms will again become rich When our soils are reclaimed and built up by clovers, grasses and stock grow ing. then we are ready for growing great crops of grain the wheat and corn so much needed by our millers. The only question is. are our farmers willing to do these things or are they willing to put in on their farms the necessary labor to make such high class Of farming success? And on this line of thoughts, I am reminded of some recent experiences. Education Needed. In all my lecture work l have tried to be conservative and honest in all my statements and advise which 1 give on this subject, for 1 know well what 1t requires in way of capital and labor to make this class of farming success. And I also know that the great majority of farmers are not willing to put on work and cash enough to make this line of farming succeed and they never will until they are educated up to higher type of i farming So there would be nothing gained for the country by going out and l telling farmers that it is an easy matter