The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1914-04-04
the important points so that those in
terested may know how to seek fur
Lhor
Securing Reliable Seed.

freedom from ordinary innocuous
grass and weed seeds, of which every
acre in the South is already full, just
awaiting the action of sunlight and
|oxygen-air-to sprout them, or per-
feet germinative efficiency; but every
man who now buys seed from any ex-
|cept the most reliable growers is liable
IA year afterward to find CD that his
seed were unsound, rotten, or (2) that
he has his farm well set out with John
son grass or some such pest which will
ruin it forever. The past season we
have heard Of thousands of bushels of
lespedeza seed being gathered in all
sorts of places, by all kinds of persons
and sold Cheap to seedsmen. Those
who gathered it did not know and did
not care about either its condition or
composition, and the seedman could
not. Who finally planted this seed?
Did you?
The reliable growers are generally
all sold out by Christmas. In 1912 the
Department of Agriculture, at Baton
Rouge, tested simultaneously twenty
samples each of seed grown in 1912
and seed grown in 1911. The 1912 seed
showed 63 per cent termination and 10
per cent dead seed, the 1911 showed 6
per cent termination and IS per cent
dead seed. Accordingly, a pound of
fresh seed was worth ten pounds one
year old.
Properly Preparing the Ground. ;.
By all means the best way is to put
the land in oats, in October or Novem-
Der, and then broadcast a bushel of les
pedeza seed to the acre as soon as all
danger of frost is past; February or
March with us when the growing oats
begin to stool"-on the surface of grow
ing grain. A more uniform stand is
facilitated by sowing a half bushel, 60
ing, say, north and south, and the other
half bushel at right angles, say, east
and west.
If you do not wish to plant oats 1--WE
do not recommend spring planting of
oats in the South and your land is in
sod, it must be plowed, disked and har-
rowed smooth and then at the proper
season (see above) the seed sown on
the surface. Never cover deeper than
with light roller and we do not con-
slider that necessary. An unusually
propitious time to SOW is right after a
rain. The seed seem to become at
tached to the wet ground and are not
washed off by subsequent rains.
If you have lespedeza sod or land
that has been cultivated the previous
year, the blowing can be replaced by
working over with a thoroughly up-to-
date disk harrow, made by some of the
standard manufacturers, having TWEEN
|ty inch disks, with proper levers for
keeping the inside disks. at the proper
depth, and drawn by four horses. BY
all means get one with a tongue-truck.
One man with four horses will thus
break (once) about six acres per day,
or break across three acres, and har-
row following the latter leaves the land
| in beautiful shape for sowing lespe-
deza. Do not try this with an inferior
disk, as it is useless. We disk our les
lpedeza meadows every year during De-
cember and January, before the old
seed is much sprouted If there was a
good stand of lespedeza on the ground
maturing seed in the fall, re-seeding is
unnecessary.
Topping OF the Weeds.
When lespedeza is young it is quite
small, while the weeds always come
with rush and threaten to choke it.
These we top back, once or twice, as
necessary, with a mower having the
blade set high so as not to top the les
pedeza (important).
Harvesting the Hay.
| "Lespedeza may be harvested from
August 18th to October 18th" 1t is
best when cut in bloom, and all green.
Do not cut when wet from rain or dew.
Now In forenoon. In afternoon horse
rake, windrow, and cock FIVE to six feet
high, 200 to 800 pounds to cock, cover
ing cocks with lowells, or 8-ounce duck,
covers about 9 feet square, fastened
with Dodson anchors, stick Is inches
long, about "a inch diameter, sharpen
ed at both ends, having feet of cord
tied to it's center. Thrust stick end
wise well under cock, twist one end up
Unto bottom of cock, other against
ground, draw out string and fasten
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