The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-18
w. Y. Massex.


was destined to be the great stock
country OF the Eastern United States
because of the wonderful profusion of
native grasses. And from that day
down, the farmers there have been
fighting grass to grow cotton, when
the grasses would have made them
rich. If properly treated and saved l
have hn6 a number of letters from this
same region, asking how to grow
timothy grass there, when. in fact,
the native crabgrass that grows. so
freely after truck crops. is better hay
making grass than timothy. and costs
only the leveling of the land after
the truck crops are off. In all the
swamp country OF Southeastern Vir-
finia and North Carolina, great crops
OF hay can be made simply by letting
the grass grow. and timothy grass
sown there in tho fall. would perhaps
make cutting in the spring and that
would be the last Of it for its shallow
roofing habit units 1t for Southern
summer. Careful analysis has shown
that crabgrass, cut at the proper stage
of maturity, makes hay OF a higher
feeding value than timothy. And for
stock feeding a ton OF pea vine hay
Is worth several tons of timothy hay.
The director of the Missouri experiment
station told the farmers that 1t would
be far better for them to grow oowpea
hay to feed their export steers rather
than timothy hay.
a friend OF minc living In Nashville
Tenn, wrote me that he was out on n
fine stock farm in that bluegrass sec
ton, and saw a beautiful bunch of
yearling colts He remarked to the
manager that bluegrass was wonder
full thing in making good colts. The
manager told him that 1t was not blue
grass that made those colts, but cow
pea hay.
Even up in Iowa they have found
the value OF the legume hay, for the
veteran, Henry Wallace, editor OF Wal
laces Farmer told a subscriber that he
had better pay $40 n ton for cowpea
hay rather than pay S13 ton for
timothy. In strong soils In the Tide
water section sowing OF peas will
usually mean heavy growth of crab
grass among them. and the two to-
gether make n hay OF great value, and
far better than the baled timothy that
IS sold In such quantities In the South.
The government statistics show that
North Carolina and Virginia make more
hay per acre than Iowa. This is be-
cause of better rainfall. And yet Iowa
makes thousands of bales to hundreds
here, and sells 1t for less money than
II commands here or course. we can
grow timothy IN a large part OF Nir-
Einia as successfully as in any State,
but in the Underwater section and good
many other parts of the State, the hay
prontably and will make better stock
food than timothy. And yet Mr.. Runin's
great stock region Is still growing
cotton and peanuts and neglectins cat
tie and grass and the farmers are
working might and main to keep the
grass down.
Alfalfa on LOwwlnnd.
will alfalfa do we'll on bottom
land that does not overflow. but is
rather TOO wet for wheat? If alfalfa
will not do, what kind of hay grass
would be suitable on such-so!l?" Pos
sibly, il the land was we'll under
drained, alfalfa might succeed but on
land that its present state is too wet
for wheat there is no chance that al
falfa would succeed. ON that land |
would SOW this fall mixture OF fan
meadow oat grass, tall meadow fcscue
and red top and after sowing the
grasses ! would sow eight pounds of
alsike clover AN acre, and brush all in
with a smoothing harrow. The alsike
IS a very hardy clover, and can we'll be
sown in the fall, and il Will thrive on
land too wet for red clover. The only
objection 10 ii is that if horses are al
lowed TO Craze on ii. il will salivate
them worse than any clover l know of,
but the hay seems harmless. Alsike
does not grow quste as. tall as red
clover but makes n fairly good crop.
and with the grasses named il will
make the finest OF mixed hay.
Mclilotus Alba.
VIII the sweet clover make q good
hay crop?" on good soil the sweet
clover, melilotus alba, makes very
heavy crop. But in my experience
cattle do not seem TO be fond of it,
Down on the lime lands of mississippi
this plant grows very strongly. and is
valued for hay. 1t seems to be better
suited 10 limestone soils than others
had far rather have COW peas or soy
14as. Cor lao . =.
heavier crop. but crop of far better
feeding value.
Crimson Glover.
y had rather thin stand of Grim
son clover and left II on the land. There
seems 70 be GOOD deal OF young clover
on the land. viii this stand and 20
through the winter. will it run 10
bloom this summer" Crimson clover
sometimes roseeds the land, but not
generally, and whether the natural
growth YOU have Will pass through the
winter can only be told by the trial.
II II gets through the summon with
out blooming. it Will live through the
winter; but II il should run TO bloom
that will he the last OF IT, The plant
seeds too carly for prohtab BILE resceding,
and II is far better 20 put q hoed crop
on the land after the clover and SOW
clover again in late summer OF early
fall
Pasture Grass.
What do you consider the best pas
ture grass for the Piedmont section ?"
II but one grass is sown, / would say
that there is pasture grass better
for the Piedmont country than orchard
grass sown very thckly. II is a very
strong roofing grass, and furnishes
feed all the year round. If good fan
growth is left on the land. stock viii
be able TO find some feed under the big
tussocks in winter. But this very habit
OF growing i'll tussocks indicates that
there should be a mixture Of grasses
gown. and not orchard grass alone.
do not prefer orchard grass as hay
grass. as II is Risky stuff 10 save in
the proper stage and does not make
az heavy crop as one would think
from its height. owing to this very
stooling habit.
In making hill pasture In Albemarle
] always sowed a mixture OF orchard
grass, red top and Kentucky blue
grass. The orchard grass and the red
top come in at once. while the blue
gross is slower, and In the protection
Of the other grasses will come in
finally and make the sod If the pasture
is top dressed and little lime har-