The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-07-17
Hey! Hay.


to the farmers of Florida as to those
of Oklahoma There is no good rea-
son whv a pound of hay should be
imported into this state. 1t is not yet
too late to sow some m1llet seed
and grow fine crop OF bette
than YOU ever bought. Prot Stock
bridge says:
The price of hay has been steadily
climbing until it has reached a point
hardly before known to the present
generation. Advices from northern
hav centers comment on present high
prices and no probability Of crop in
the near future Native southern hay
has sold in local markets as high as
$4,000 per ton, and inferior shipped
hay sells regularly considerably high
er. Hay is always a profitable crop
to the southern farmer We believe
it is at present the most profitable
crop he can grow on a large scale
even with TIC cotton in sight. Think
of two tons of hay, at $500, from
land which has already made full
crop of something else this season,
made with practically no expense ex-
ceDt the cost Of harvesting.
Here is a fact worth keeping in
mind as bearing on the probable
profits of hay growing. The farmers
Of Iowa are now receiving $I2oo per
ton for their hay They call this
high price and are making money on
land worth $4,000 per acre. The
Georgia farmers who have hay to
sell are getting $4,000 per ton for
the crop grown on ten dollar land.
With these facts in mind. three con-
illusions seem plain. We should
make as much hay as possible. We
should save all we can. We should
make, save and market the crop as
cheap1y as possible Here are a few
suggestions which it is hoped may
help toward these three desired re-
suits
Most hay made in the south is
grown as a second or follow crop
This is equally true whether the hay
is volunteer crop, as with beggar
weed and crab grass. or whether it
is a cultivated crop like COW peas or
sorghum. In either case the farmer
is liable to forget that double crop
ping means double feeding Even if
therefore, the soil will finally grow
soil If the presence is continued,
the second crop is a volunteer it
grows by taking something from the
poorer unless something is returned
to the soil. This is true, even of cow
peas and other legumes, which are
commonly called soil improvers. They
only improve the soil, increase its
fertility in one cOnstituent-rit nitrogen.
The plain Interpretation of these facts
is this. If hay growing, second crop
ping, is to be continued without in
Jury to the soil, this crop must be fer
tilted; fed as other crops are fed.
If the hay crop is a 1egume, cow
peas, beggar weed, Japan clover econ
omy and best results demand that
only mineral matter, phosphoric acid
and potash, be used as fertilizer.
If the hay crop is not legume crab
grass, sorghum, millet-the fertilizer
should return to the soil part Of each
OF the three plant foods removed by
the crOp-phosphoric acid, nitrogen
and pOtash-in about the proportions
found in the crop itself.
The fertilizer for hay crop should
always be applied broadcast, or be
equally. evenly distributed through
the soil by drill. Time and labor
will be saved by applying when the
previous crop is laid by. The land
should be narrowed level, for the
mower. after the first crop is re-
moved, whenever the nature of the
hap crop will allow Narrowing in
the fertilizer at this time is a good
method of applying. Condition of
ri liz e