The Prescott daily news., 1915-07-01

According to the most recent fig ures of the department, 1,305000 tons of hay, valued at $17,626,OOO, are brought each year into the II South ern States. In other words, the South produces only four-fifths of the hay that it consumes and imports the other one-ifth. This is a singular state of affairs for great agricultural section and the causes for it are analysed in a new publication of the department, Farmers Bulletin CIT. 'It is practi- cable" says this bulletin, "for farmers of the South to produce all the hay that they need on their own farms" For the city markets, however, south ern hays find it difficult to compete with timothy, clover, or alfalfa, none of which have done well in the cotton belt, except in limited areas. Another obstacle is the liklihood of rainy wea- ther interfering with the curing of the crop.
 These two obstacles, however, do not alter the fact that, with suitable soil conditions, growing hay in the South for market should be a prof. table production. The heavy clay up- lands and the sandy soils along the coast are not well suited for this pur- pose, and the Department of Agri- culture considers it doubtful whether it is advisable to attempt to produce market hay on them. On the other hand, bottom or alluvial lands, if suf- ficiently drained, are admirably adapt ed for hay production, and if there is a good market for hay in the vicinity, will probably give as great profit in this way as in any other.
 Granting that the soil is suitable, another factor to be taken into con- sideration is the amount of land at ones disposal To produce market hay economically requires a special squipment, the expense of which is so considerable that it is doubtful wheth- c. farmer is justified in mourning it unless he expects to have 20 acres or more of hay to cut each year. This equipment includes mower, rake, tedder, wagon with frame, horse fork pitchfork, and hay press. The press of course, is not absolutely necessary, and, unless the farmer has 30 tons or more to bale, it will probably be more economical for him to pay for the baling than to purchase the press. A common method of overcoming this difficulty is for onef armer in com munity to purchase a press and to make a business of baling hay for the others.
 Among the grasses and legumes that make good market hays in the South are lespedeza in the lower Miss issippi Valley; Johnson grass over most of the cotton belt; Bermuda grass on the rich bottom lands the Arlington ,4ixture (orchard grass, tall oat grass, and alsike) on the heavy uplands. Sudan grass is also show ing much promise. In considering the relative merits of these market hays, market is likely to have its own re- quirements which do not always cor respond to feeding values. There is also the question of prejudice to be taken into consideration.
 This is particularly true of John son grass, which has suffered greatly on the market from it's bad reputa- ton as a weed. It is indeed doubtful whether for this reason it should ever be soWn on land not already occupied by it. Its merits in other respects, however have been thoroughly dem onstrated, and on land already cover ed y it it may be cut with profit for market hay. It is especially satis factory for horses in the city, many livery men considering it practically as good as timothy for this purpose.
 Bermuda grass is also well known throughout the cotton region. Al though used primarily for summer pasturage, it grows tall enough on rl.h soil to cut for hay and may be moved two or three times a season, yielding an average of about 1 ton per acre for each cutting. Lespedeza does we'll with it, though, like the Bermuda orca frocnontly Joac not