The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-08-10
PERMANENT PASTURES FOR THE
SOUTH.
Thousands of Acres of Land Now
Worked in Cotton That Should Be
in Grass-How to Get Bermuda
Sod, and How to Make the Poorer
Acres Yield q Good Profit.

|
Woodland has value by reason
of the lumber and wood that it will
produce, because Of It's effect on cli-
mate, storage of rainfall. etc. great
many farmers seem to think wood
land valuable for pasture also.
l do not think it wise proposition
to Craze woodland. Why? Because %
what little grass grows in the woods
has little value as food; the trees
draw the strength of the land and so
shade the grass plants as to reduce
their feeding value very much; (2)
there is so little grass produced on
woodland that the fencing of the land
becomes too great a tax when The
amount of pasture is considered; (3)
the stock grazing on pasture a part
of which is woods Will go out on the
cleared land to feed, then return to
| the woods to rest, remaining here
the greater part of the day during
the summer months. They will then
rob the clearned land and by their
Grcppings enrich the woodland Then
the grazing is very detrimental to
| the woods because of the killing of
the young trees. So we would very
much rather fence the timber land
out Of the pasture than in it.
The Pasture a Place to Grow Grass.
Leave only a few shade trees in
the pasture, get rid of every other
sort of plant except grass and clover
| | am asking for pasture not only in
the hill section of our country, but
| in the so-called level sections as we'll.
have travelled over much of the
Cotton Belt and in every section
| everywhere, have seen unnumbered
| acres-a little rolling, devoid of hu-
| mus-that were making nothing but
| poverty for those working them.
These washing lands should be en- e.
| riched with legumes, then planted in
Bermuda grass and white clover, aul
! on them grazed dairy cows. sheep,
| hogs and stock beef cattle for winter
| feeding.
Don't say these cotton lands are
| too valuable for pasture. l have seen
thousands OF acres Of these rolling
| lands that We're not producing 100
pounds of cotton per acre and costing
more work each year than the entire
| crop was worth, to say nothing of
the cost of fertilizer applied.
Bermuda and Lespedeza.
The method to follow is a thor
ough, deep blowing, a legume crop,
fertilized with commercial fertilizer,
| this grazed off and followed with an
other crop of legumes, then the soil
thoroughly disked or plowed, well
| narrowed and planted in Bermuda
roots, running the rows about two
feet apart and dropping the pieces of
root about the same distance apart
| IN the rows. When this is done, SOW
about two pounds of white clover
seed per acre, and if any portions of
| the fields are low and moist, add TO
the above about 10 pounds per acre
| or redtOp. Let this work be
| done during the last of September
or the first part of October; and if
| the most pasture is wanted the fol-
lowing summer. a bushel per acre of
some fall grain will help increase the
yield of feed. A very light harrow
or Weeder is the proper tool with
which to cover the grass and clover
seeds.
The third year this pasture will he
helped by thoroughly cutting the sod
| ana tearing the Bermuda up we'll
When molested in this way the
| plants seem to get the idea that the
| farmer is trying to rid himself of
| them, and as theirs is perverse ma
ture, they take hold with a fresh
zeal. few loads of manure scat
tered thinly over the poorer portions
of the pasture before this cutting is
done will aid very much to thicken
| the sod.
Wherever lcspcdeza will grow it is
| a plant that will add very largely to
the amount of feed that can be pro-
| duCed on the pasture, and will also
because of its nitrogen gathering
habit, greatly enrich the soil In this
element. And the grass plants feed