The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1908-08-28

Y
England is complaining Of the ad
vanced cost of beef bought from tbs
United States. and It is quite certain
that the price is not going to be any
lower. We are all aware that pas
turage in the West is getting more
scarce every year and It behooyes
us of the South TO make the most of
our opportunities. We have the
land and the superior climate and
more valuable grasses than any west
of the Mississippi river. Many Of
us do not grow any of our own meat.
Others make their own bacon, while
very few make their own beef, and
seldom do you find a farmer in our
midst who annually turns off one or
more fat cattle for the shambles,
Now is a very good time to start
in making permanent pasturage and
moving so that more forage may be
stored for winter use. TIE method we
have used may seem costly, but we
have found It the best possible poll
cy. All of our farm was a sandy loan
that would grow about forty bushels
Of corn to the acre with a moderate
amount of fertilizer. A crop of wheat
under the same conditions would not
make more than 20 bushels A
relative nearby made forty-five BUSH
els of wheat and eighty bushels of
corn. His method was TO pillow in Jul!
and crossplow in August and spread
thirty tons of horse manure to the
acre in September, and SOW his wheat
in early October, together with grass
seed. He was able to purchase his
manure in a nearby town and his
cost for manure was aover $50 per
acre. OF course he did not get It
back from the wheatbut some years
he came very close to it; but his
hay crop was immense and he would
cut it yearly for five years before he
would pillow again. In good years his
hay would yield three tons to the acre
while in times of drouth the yield
would be one and half tons. On or
binary land alongside less than half
a ton would be cut in time Of drouth.
felt sure that l could not equal
his yield, but l determined try It.
So l selected two acres near the barn
that had been in corn the year before
This was grown with 300 pounds Of
fertilizer, $50 pounds in the hill well
mixed before planting and $50 pounds
broadcast and cultivated in when
three feet high. The yield was IS
bushels. ..-.. ....
plowed this two acres once in
May, once in June, and in July /
worked 1t with my two-horse riding
cultiVator. This was the first year
! used this for cultivating, and l was
not aware it would do such good
work. If had known how we'll 1t
would work would have used 1t in
stead of the plow the second time of
piowing.
had hauled out 80 two-horse loads
of COW and horse manure alongside
this plot and turned 1t twice during
the summer, so it was we'll rotted
for spreading in September | work
ed this manure in with my riding har-
row. In the absence of a good har-
row We would plow it under very shall
low, say two and a half inches.
On October 10 we sowed two and a
quarter bushels of wheat to the acre
and cultivated it in, and then sJwed
twenty pounds of timothy seed and
one bushel Of blue grass seed per
acre and dragged IL with a brush
harrow made of cedar boughs.
The seed came up quickly and soon
had fine stand Of DO h wheat and
grass. 1t win.cred well and carly in
spring I broad2as,od 80 pounds Of
be ne meal and potash, half and half
From the measured Two acres ] har-
vested 70 bushels Of prime wheat. !
sold thirty bushels for $I5, aad 20