Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-08-09

was declared Protector and Walton lived
to see 1t was through four other edi-
lions. How often 1t has since been re-
muda, tall cat grass, red top, meadow
fescue. blue grass and other varieties
which you can grow with more or less adj
vantage in your section of the south 1t,
however, makes an excellent hay of
good quality and yields well. Like any
other grass, II does best on soil OF fair
fertility, or at least on land which is
we'll fertilzed and handled so as to in
sure a uniform supply of available plant
food. 1t is assumed by some that John
son grass may be easily and completely
eradicated, and it will come as near
surrendering to close pasturing with hogs
as to any other practice with which we
are familiar, but II is a serious under
taking to clean II out of land on which
it las obtained a foothold because of the
stuloniferous character of its roots, and
the fact that II will throw up a fresh
sprout from every joint. Therefore. when
attempting to clear the land of this pest
the blowing must be done deep enough to
pass below the major portion Of the roots
and expose them to the sun during the
hottest part OF the summer. They should
be worked out with a harrow and raked
up and burned. In many sections of the
south johnson grass may be cut from
two to three times. It's nutritive quail
ties compare very favorably with many
other plants used for hay. The seed
weighs about IS pounds to the bushel and
at least one bushel should be sown to
the acre II may also be propogated by
cutting the roots into pieces and scat
tering over the ground about one foot
apart
GRASS FOR PASTURE IN NORTH
GEORGIA
w. E. S., Hiawassee, Ga, writes: l
have about two acres Of land wish to
SOW in grass for pasture, and would like
10 have your opinion as to what kind of
grass seed to sow. The land has been
in pasture for a long time, and is near
the barn where 1t is run over by stock |
II is good land but there is no grass
grows except a small weed and Egyptian
clover. / would like to SOW oats with
grass IL il does not injure the grass.
The best turf-forming grass which you
can secure for rolling land which is
subjected to tramping and therefore IL |
able to erosion, is Bermuda. This is
best established from sets rather than
seed. as you could hardly sow the seed
with oats to advantage. II the seed Is
used II is best to use IL without nurse !
crop Probably tall oat grass is the next |
best tame grass you can use on this /
land. 1t has a longer pasture period |
than Bermuda, but will not stand tramp |
ing or dry weather and close grazing as
well as Bermuda. The Bermuda, II is |
true. provides no grazing during several
months of the year. but If you sow on it |
early in the fall hairy vetch or burr |
clover. you can secure very good COM
bination pasture. We presume by Egyp- !
tian clover you refer to Japan clover. |
This crop furnishes excellent grazing for |
a part of the year, and its growth should |
be encouraged as II is a legume and
soil improver and serves to give variety |
to the pasture as we'll. As you are no |
doubt familiar with Bermuda grass, sug- |
gestions as to the best methods of Sc I,
curing a stand of IL will not be offered |
at this time.
TEXAS FEVER AND STOCK RAISING !
T. c. H, Conner. Ga, writes: 1 own !;
a pasture of about 10 acres, and were |
ii not for Ill luck l could make money |
raising cattle. The former owner lost |
500 to $500 each year. Two veterinari- |
ans pronounced the trouble Texas fever, |
but my opinion as we'll as others has al |
ways been that the deaths were caused |
by eating grass and rushes on which |
mud had been deposited by the overflow !,
of the river. Last year I moved the |
pasture and sold the hay, but am very |
anxious to feed the hay to. beef cattle |
so as to get the manure for my farm |
Would like to have your advice in the
matter.
While II is possible that something else |
may have caused the deaths among the |
cattle to which you refer. Texas fever is |
a most potent agency in destroying live |
stock in Georgia. The ticks are the car |
riers of Texas or southern fever, and |
thousands OF them will often infest cat |
tie without their presence being known |
to the owner unless he is acquainted !
with the habits and characteristics of this |
parasite. 1t Is commonly supposed that |
Texas fever does not attack an animal |
born in the south. This is an error, how
ever, as no animal Is apparently i'm !
mune or exempt from this trouble. The |
loss 10 southern stockmen as a result of |
the presence OF the tick and the damage |
IL does in weakening and emaciating cat
tie and preventing their making uniform |
gains amounts to anywhere from $780,. |
10000 to s1OO0O0,0O0 annually. No doubt |
the veterinary surgeons who examined |
this pasture were right in their diagnosis /
Of the trouble. Certainly the illness and |
death which followed could hardly be |
attributed to the overflow of the land /
and the mud on the reeds and rushes /
growing along the river The chances
are that the river at flood time brought
down a fresh infestation of ticks and inn
mediately after the substance of the
flood the cattle were attacked without
any effort being made to rid them OF
ticks. Naturally death followed.
The ticks on this area of land may be
destroyed by keeping animals off IL for
a year OF course. fresh infestation may
be brought by the flood. but If you will
grease your cattle systematically with
crude Beaumont oil, which is not a
difficult or expensive undertaking. you
can prevent the ticks from developing on