The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1917-03-03

Statistics show that only about IL
per cent of the lands in Louisiana are
in cultivation, the remaining ~ per
cent includes abandoned farm lands.
timber lands. the cutover pine pei',
n considerable area of swamp iaho
along the rivers, and large strip oil
marsh land along the coast.
Even in the better cultivated sec
t,ops there is always an abundance of
land which Is not cultivated every
vear. and when these lie in the allu'
vial plains or smaller river Valleys
they are almost invariably clothed IN
n wonderful sod of Bermuda grass
and white clover, with smaller tracts
of lespedeza, Johnson grass ana many
other useful forage crops intimately
mixed with liberal growth of weeds,
brars and underbrush. 1t is also ap-
parent to anyone that from early
spring TO late fall the great BULK oil
this pasturage goes almost entirely 10
waste because of the lack of sufiicient
CHIIIt OF olHt1 dii'hotp w t'"HN ~
in a way to return profit to the own
or The cut-over pine lands and hill
sections of the state are generally Gov
cred with natural growth OF the
sedge grasses. some of the wild Ie-
g,imes and varying amount or I'M
derbrlsh. which increases az one goes
toward the northern part of the state.
II would be almost impossible to esti-
mate the amount of natural wealth
which is wasted In no. properly util-
king these spontaneous growths Tor
live stock production az there is I'M
uuestionably enough of 1t to maintain
many hundreds of thousands of cattle
and sheep II properly used
While no accurate data In available
that would show the carrying capacity
OF all classes of pasturage, 1t is GER
tain that the better pastures in the
alluvial section of the state have a
CARRYING capacity far in excess of the
ordinary estimates OF average land III
Southern states. One pasture OF zoo
acres. consisting of heavy black land
sod with Bermuda and white clover
has carried nearly two head of cattle
| to the acre for nine or ten months
| of the years 1915 and 1916. The only
pastures which one sees grazed down
to where they are really in the best
condition are the small plats about
| barns and premises where the mules
and family milk cows have free access
! to comparatively small areas.
The carrying capacity of the cut
over pine and hill lands are. OF
course, not nearly SO great. II is
perhaps safe to say, however, that the
poorest of our pine hills and flats will
carry one mature animal for every five
acres without Improvement. though 1t
| Is not recommended that they be used
in this way, as all of them can be
greatly improved for pasture purposes
by small expenditure for seeding
with lespedeza, white and burr clover.
Bermuda and paspalum grasses. It is
quite probable that for at least gen.
Grafton to come these pine lands are
going to be more useful for stock rails
ing on an extensive basis than for
any other purpose, and when they
have served their purpose in this di.
rection they will be more productive
when cut up into small farms, as they
no doubt will be in due course OF
| time.
| To look at the question more from
the standpoint of the individual farm
casual survey will convince anyone
that the average farmer of Louisiana
owns or controls much more land than
he utilizes for any practical purposes
year after year. These waste lands
generally speaking, could be made to
pay part of the expenses of the farm
II they were properly fenced and con.
verted into pasturage for the grazing
Of live stock.-G. II. Nesom, Live Stock
Extension Service, Louisiana State
University.