Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1917-05-03
BIG PROFIT IN HAY
Its Value Is Generally Underesti-
mated by Farmers.
sTIMULANT FOR SOIL NEEDED

Hay Has Received Too Little Attention
In Past-Grass Necessary For Forage
and Also to Increase Soil Fertility.
Better Methods of Seeding Wanted
to Increase Yield.
The importance of the hay or grass
crop in our systems of farming is Of
ten underestimated The hay crop gem
orally receives less attention than any
other farm crop. From the earliest
days of husbandry the old proverb, mo
grass. no cattle; no cattle, no manure;
no manure. no crops" has had full sig
nificance. An increase in the grass crop
means soil improvement. The value OF
a sod for corn or potatoes is known by
every practical farmer. To fail in get
ting a stand of grass means not only
lack of forage, but also final loss IL
soil fertility. The adaptability of q
large portion of the eastern states to
hay production and the proximity of
large markets, together with the fact
that the grass crop responds as readily
to fertilization and good culture as 9th
er farm crops should be an incentive
to the grower for giving special atten-
ton to the growing of grass. The av-
erage yield of hay per acre in the east
ern states is not much over one ton.
That it is possible to increase this yield
not only through better methods of
hx1t o1on nv tho troo f
ment of grass land has been fully dem
onstra ted. Experiment stations through
out the country have shown that it is
possible to almost double the yield of
hay through top dressing with manure
and lime or commercial fertilizers with
lime.
The Kind of Meadow to Top Dress.
A poor stand of grass or meadow
maximum results from top dressing.
The former will contain many weeds,
while the latter may be so sod bound
as to prevent proper development. The
best results may be expected from
grass land of the previous years seed
ing or sod of two years standing. In
general top dressing the land the first
year is the better practice, since the
plants are invigorated and more per-
feet stand is obtained in this way
Grass which is sown ON especially pre-
pared land in the late summer and top
dressed the following spring will give a
large yield of hay free from weeds
The increased growth of the grass due
to top dressing tends to crowd out the
weeds much more rapidly than one
should imagine. In general it will be
more profitable to top dress a good sod
of recent seeding rather than try to
renovate poor stands of grass.
Time of Application.
Lime should be applied first, in q
soluble, quick acting form-namely,
hydrate or ground kiln lime. There is
an unfounded fear that because the
latter irritates the sweaty skin when
handled it may hurt the young grass
shoots. The great lawns surrounding
the Department of Agriculture in Wash.
ington are lined in the spring with
SIOuiu lille, WHICH is less mid than
hydrate. Last year the plats were
white with it in April, the green grass
growing through it vigorously. The
anxious can use pulverized limestone
of brands shown to be finer than corn
meal, without noticeable grains. 1t
does not stimulate so quick a start.
however.
Fertilizers containing nitrogen NAV
be applied as soon as the weather be-
comes settled and the grass begins to
grow. Too early application of nitro
gen is likely to result in the loss of the
soluble nitrates by teaching by fire.
quent and heavy rains. The mistake is
often made in top dressing of applying
the material too early in the season.
Care should be taken to apply the fer
tilizers when the grass is dry. Stable
manure may be applied any time in
the winter or early spring when the
ground is sufficiently firm to bear a
load.