The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-20
Winter Pastures.

This is the season to prepare winter pasture for all stock on the farm. If this is neglected stock are sure to suf- fer next winter and spring. Even if an ample supply of dry feed be provided, 1t is pest not to feed stock all together on dry food. Stock need some green sue culent feed in winter as well as in sum mer. Where good winter pastures are provided, the, cost of keeping stockiI through the winter especially young stock can be reduced to minimum.
 In the southern states we have but few days during our winter months when stock cannot be left out in the open fields. Then again, the southern farmer has so many plants to choose from to maze winter pasture. In fact, 1t would be we'll to use a combination of winter growing grains for grazing purposes, as stock fond of a change of food as wed as man. Of the m any winter grains that may be used tos good profit for winter grazing, there Is none better than winter rye
 Rye Is Valuable.
 Rye is especially valuable from the fact that it is more easily grown, will grow on a greater variety of soils and will grow under more adverse weather con- dtions than will any other of our winter grains. Winter rye may be grown sue cessfuly on almost all our soils, yet while this is true, the better the soil the more profitable will be the crop. Our readers, especially those who have been reading this paper for some years, know how hard 1 have labored in trying to get them to SOW winter rye for winter pas ture as well as for improvement of the soil. Frequently it is best to SOW rye for pasture when we are blowing our corn or cotton for the last time.
 During wet weather in early August, the rye may be sown broadcast on top of the ground, as it will come up and grow during a few days of wet weather. A better plan, howver, would be to SOW the seed and run a one horse cultivator through between the rows of cotton or corn, for where the seed are covered the plants root much better last longer and give more feed.
 Last season 1 tried a rotation of this kind which proved very successful. Just after the last cultivation of the corn, COW peas were drilled in between the rows This was the last week in June. The first weeks of August were showery' very seasonable, so that the first week of the month I sowed my corn ilelds to rye, which fell on the moist soil under the peas. The peas kept the soil shaded and moist so that the rye came up 2nd made fine growth before the corn Was gathered and the seed peas picked. The stalks and pea vines made good pasture. When this gave out, the rye was ready for grazing and furnished good pasture all the winter and there were but few days that were too cold for stock to be left in the open field. The past spring the rye was allowed to run up to bloom this it will do in a few days after stock are taken off-when it was turned under for green manure, using about ton of lime per acre to assist the green manure. The soil was then in a fine condition for -Rlmost any crop that might be desired.
 rart of this land, so used last year, was planted the past spring to early po- tatoes. These gave a crop of l5o bush els per acre and were so nice and smooth that they brought extra prices. This early potato crop land. when the po- tatoes were taken off, was planted to COW peas At the last blowing of the peas which they were ready for the first week In August rye will again be sown for pasturei the coming winter
 Now. we will go back and review this rotation commencing with 1906: Crop of rorn. SC bushels per acre, worth 5O cents ner bushel. $40; pea seed, $l5 per .acre; stalk and pea vine hay pasture. sl per ncre; rye pasture, $2 per acre. Total value of crops per acre $5S. Now as thls corn was used for seed it brought me $40 more per acre which brings the value or crops per acre. up to ssS.
 The same land for 1907: One hundred and fifty bushels of potatoes at DO cents per bushel $75; ten bushels seed peas k25; pea vine hay ana rye pdsturs' s- Pei% acre. a total of $iO2 per acre for 1907 or R total of s200 per acre for the two wears. In this two years rotation six crops have been grown instead or two as is the common practice among farm CTS Besides this, the soil is In higher state of cultivation and is richer in plant food than 1t was when l commenced with the rotation. These figures are very conservative in fact, no account is taken of the vast amount of plant food fur nished to the soil by the rye and COW peas. Now there are two points that I wish to bring out. by making mention of this rotation. First, while strong rlaims are made for using wheat or other grains instead of rye for grazing, I very much question whether wheat or any other grain other than rye would have 4 prove so valuable or given such good results in this rotation Second. men, ton is made of this rotation to impress upon the reader the importance of TO- tation of crops that will keep the soil busy all the time. In fact, I cannot zee how any farmer can afford to own land from which he is getting only one erop year.
 Many farmers claim that wheat fur Aishad better pasture than rye and that