Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-10-23
The Jersey Isle of America"

Mr.. y. II. EVaLS, Jersey DTccu-
er living at MuldOn, Miss, calls
prairie belt in northeast Mississip- |
pi the "Jersey Isle of America"
and the more l learn of the dairy
possibilities here, the more the
name appeals to me.
We can grow more legume crops
here than any section l know of.
This lime land is the natural home
of alfalfa and melolotus, the latter
growing where there is scarcely
any soil on top of the lime rock.
We grow red clover. The white
clover grows on all soils and spreads
over our pastures the same as it
does in northern Illinois, where |
came from. And Japanese clover
(lespedeza) grows on all except the
very strong lime lands, though it
does not do it's best on land that
makes the best melolodus. Lespe-
deza makes excellent pasture, also
hay that is very high in protein.
We are very fortunate in being
able to grow several winter le-
gumes, i. e.: for clover. crimson
cover and vetch. But clover in a
! bermuda pasture gives us a con-
stant pasture for the year, grow
ling while the bermuda is dormant
lin the winter. Crimson clover is
a great soil builder. We find it
practical to SOW it after corn and
have it for a cover crop during the
winter and then plow it under for
corn again. In this way we secure
each year a heavier yield of corn
when using no other means OF soil
building.
| am now (September 2d) cut
ting my fourth crop of alralfa on
tile drained land. It has some
johnson grass in it and is making
over 112 tons per acre. And |
shall secure a good fifth cutting,
as we have had rains recently that
warrant another cutting. The al
falfa that / sowed last April, We
have cut twice, and the third cut.
ting will be ready in week; and
/ shall secure the faprth cutting,
without doubt.
We had a severe drouth in ear
ly summer and | fed my Jerseys
alfalfa bSy whick We ohcrct
$40 per ton for, and it enabled VI
: to hold up the flow ofmilk through
the drouth. We can grow all th'
feed Jerseys need here except
2 little cottonseed meal, and | tint
that, with corn sileage ard alfalf'
HAY. we need but little cottonseet
: lmeal. 1t is made at Macon, so W
{ buy it direct from the maker.
We have the cattle ticks eradi
: Gated from our county and are ou
: of quarantine. 1t is a great re
e lief to be rid of that nightmare, a
: the infested cattle could not thriv
and we could not ship except int
y the tick section of the stock yards
1t Our winters are so mild that W
y need only to protect our Jersey
q from the wind and water, and W
;. do that with lumber that we bu
70 at the mills a few miles away a
re $8 to $40 per thousand feet.
st Since we have the ticks Grad
e. Gated buyers come here from tn
III dairy sections north Of us to bu
r our grade Jerseys at price ths
i'll makes us good profit. I am ce
Re tain there is a. greater profit j
IS growing our grade Jerseys helfel
s. for COWS than there is in GROWN
t. steers for beef. We can have tt
q Jerseys in perfect condition on OF
1e pasture in summer and on col
and soghum silage in winter, an
d, the steers must have some concel
trate to fit him for market.
The Jerseys are not the only Ii
stock that thrives here, as ever
thing that eats grass does thrl'
wondrously with us. We eve
I'd grow finer men on these lan'
1t where we have so much lime tn;
AZ where lime is deficient. The la
ch les are so attractive that they ca
ng tu1e nearly every unmarried mi
that comes here from the north.
on | will close by saying that
ks have lived here six and half yea
zee and have been ready for my mes
at every meal time. / came ne
or forgotten to say that we have
good market in the south for o
butter and cream, as great qua
no W titles Of butter are shipped hi
30 30 from the north.
ad Nine thousand Etowah coun
acres have been planted in cri
be son clover this fall, says the Ca
ur- den Times News; and orders ha
er. been placed for seed enongh
nd plant five thousand other acr
r IA.