Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-12
AGGR51dYEI c['924z5,;'
- I ~ as....65 EDUCATION
-51-gaA- AND SUCCESSFUL FARMING
@n=A1@ BY ANDREWM eSOLEE

SutflClGntly Tor dnOtner crop ana quite
often it does not. Twenty pounds per
acre during the early fall is the re-
quired amount of seed for a full
seeding.
Kentucky blue grass can be uti-
lized to a limited extent in north
Georgia on the fertile clay lands
partly protected from the sun. The
northern slopes and the spaces I'M
der occasional trees are the only
places in which it will maintain a
good sod through the summer. Five
to ten pounds of seed per acre soWn
on unplowed land during early tall
will be suited to our conditions. Ken
lucky blue grass sod should be kept
well packed at all times.
The best pastures in Georgia are
on the low lands. These places are
moist and rich, consequently will
give an excellent growth of grass.
Much of the low land, in north Geor-
ture because it is needed to grow
corn. There are, however. many
places where crops are destroyed by
overflow, or water-logging, but where
grass would survive. Thousands OF
acres OF bottoms in both north and
south Georgia now growing nothing
but bushes and timber of little value
could be put to grass. Some hill land
should be included also to furnish
grazing when the low lands are flood
ed. Hill lands only are not very de-
pendable, due to summer and fall
droughts, but if they have not been
worn out fairly good pasture can
be made. If the land is exhausted,
very little growth of grass can be
expected, yet the majority of Geor-
gia farmers will turn to such places
first in trying to develop a pasture.
On poor uplands very little expense
should be incurred as the returns
lD
cultivated it would be best to i'm
prove them by growing several crops
of velvet beans or cowpeas before
seeding to grass. Enough grazing
can be secured to pay the expense
of growing the crop. Quite often
these soils cannot be cultivated, and
in such cases they must be used for
pastures in their depleted condition.
They should then be allowed to pro-
duce the necessary shade for the ami
mails and as much Lespedeza as pos
sible
Grass lands need to be prepared
differently from corn and cotton
lands. The seedbed must be very
shallow but finely prepared and the
sub-surface compact. Young grass
plants send down their roots much
more slowly than do corn or cotton
plants, hence cannot live so well in
a loose soil that dries out quickly.
should be packed. This can be done
with or roller or with cattle tramping
over the area, or by several rains.
Clearing the land of native grasses.
bushes and trees is also important,
for much of the future pastures now
grow wild grasses. and sedges or
bushes and trees. A lot of patience
will be necessary to clear these lands
most economically. If the under
growth be very dense one or more
judicious burnings during a dry time
in the spring will be of great value.
Then, by using goats to Craze the
bushes or by chopping down the
least once year, the underground
can, be completely destroyed in a
few seasons. To clear the land Of
trees is q more difficult problem, es-
pecially II they cannot be utilized for
wood or timber. In such case the
smaller ones should be cut and piled
and the larger ones girdled and al
lowed to die. Seeding should be done
shortly afterward to allow the good
grasses to establish themselves be-
fore the broomsedge and briers take
possession of the land. A used disc
harrow is very valuable in prepar-
ing the seeded in such, places. -.
the state so large that the above
method cannot be used. They are
mostly cut-over pine lands, growing
wiregrasS, broomSedge and light
wood-knot grass. To get these areas
in improved grasses the present
growth can be reduced and eventual
ly killed by very heavy grazing from
the time of burning in the spring
until fall. If the native grasses are
kept less than two inches tall they
remain tender enough to Craze
throughout the season. A light seed
ing of carpet grass and lespedeza
without preparing a seeded when
heavy grazing is begun will result
in these plants occupying the ground
in a few years. Care must be used
in providing extra pasture during the
droughts when such close grazing is
practiced.
In seeding grass a moist time
should be selected. For spring seed
ing the months of February and
March and for fall seeding October
and November will be the best dates.
The seeds should be evenly distribut-
ed over the area by means of a seed
er or broadcast by hand and cover
ed lightly. If broadcast by hand it
is we'll to SOW one-half the seed
across the field in one direction and
the other half at right angles to the
first. In covering the seed a spike
tooth harrow, Weeder or a brush is
needed. If the land is not compact
1t would be well to allow animals to
trample it.