The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-06-30
Preparing for the Hay
Crop.
By O. X. SIcouarrie.


The amount OF money sent out o
Florida yearly for hay amounts 10 hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, Most o
this will be Kept at home when our farm
erS realize how easy ii is TO make thei
land produce an abundant crop OF hay
The proper methods, however, must bt
employed. Right now, with the adven
of the rainy season, is a good time tc
begin the preparation for the crop.
Natural Hay.
With but few exceptions, all the land
in the state is capable of producing lux
uriant crops OF crabgrass and beggar
weed, and in the northern and western
sections, Mexican clover in addition.
The crabgraSS and Mexican clover grow
as volunteer crops on all cultivated
lands, and the beggarweed will reseed
itself for many years in succession after
having been once sown.
Where a spring crop has been pro
duced such as Irish potatoes, early corn,
beans, cucumbers, or melons,, there will
be no difficulty in getting good crop
of hay, if the land is well prepared for
the purpose. Such preparation should
include the blowing and thorough pull.
verization of the soil by the best tools al
command. Either a turning or disk
plow may be used for the purpose, fol-
lowed by a smoothing harrow or
weeder, taking care to leave the land in
as smooth and level condition as posi-,
BILE, in order that the mower may do
good work at haying time.
Cowpea, Sorghum and Millet Hay.
When the natural grasses do not pre-
vail to the extent necessary for good
stand, cowpeas can be sown anytime up
to the middle of July, with an assurance
of getting good crop of the highest
grade of hay. On the Experiment Sta
ton farm, lands treated as above sug-
geSed, and sown TO cowpeas at the rate
OF buShel and half to the acre, have
yielded more than two tons of hay per
acre. 1t will be best TO sow only va
riety of cowpea that is immune to root
knot, such as the Iron or the Brabham
A mixture of cowpeas and sorghum
makes an excellent hay for work stock,
and may be especially recommended for
this purpose. About forty pounds of
sorghum seed per acre may be used, in
addition to the amount of cowpeas al
ready mentioned Two tons of first
class hay may reasonably be expected
from this combination.
Another good mixture is sorghum and
German millett. About thir pounds
OF millet seed per acre is added to the
amount of sorghum already recommend
ed This will give hay equal to the
best, and the yield should not be less
than a couple OF tons per acre on good
land. 1t is not advisable, however, to
SOW millet seed on poor land. On land
that has been literally fortified for the
proceeding crop, good yield of hay
can be depended on without more fer
tilizer. Where no spring crop has been
grown, and where we sow cowpeas, or
sorghum, or German millet, about four
hundred pounds per acre of. acid phos-
phate should be broadcasted and worked
into the soil al the time of preparation.
About the latter part of August, two
hundred pounds of nitrate OF soda per
acre in addition applied before a rain
will give good results with the sorghum
and millet
The application OF the same amount
of nitrate of soda at the same period on
land that has grown spring crop will
often be found TO be an advantage with
sorghum and millet. Should the crop
at any time show yellow unthrifty
condition, even in spots, nitrate of soda
applied as above will correct ii and as
siSt in getting good yield.-Press
Bulletin, Agricultural Experiment Sta
lion, University of Florida.