The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-09-22
FARM NOTES BY
THE COUNTY AGENT

September and October are the
months for sowing rape for best re-
suits. Paintings made in these months
will make better growth and furnish
more grazing than those put in later.
However, il planted from November
till February, the crop will give sat
isfactory results in grcwth and pay
handsomely.
Hog and poultry raisers are not
giving rape the attention that it de-
serves. If the Dwarf Essex variety
is used and planted in rows about
three feet apart, literally fertilized
with fertilizer high ia ammonia. and
properly cultivated. excellent results
will be obtained. Too often, tho, the
mistake is made Of turning the stock
on the crop too early before it gets
good start. Also. very general
mistake is to Craze the crop too
closely To avoid the latter error, the
rape field should be divided into
patches BY fences and one plot grazed
while the others are recuperating.
Two patches Of an acre each will
furnish grazing for 10 hogs from De-
cember till April, while ne-quarter
acre will be sufficient for 100 hens for
the same period. This is assuming,
however, that the crop is planted by
October 18th on fairly good land and
is properly fertilized and cultivated
Estimating the cost for seed. ferti-
lizer, planting and cultivation to-
amount to SIS per acre and figuring
that the saving in corn by reason Of.
the pasture to be two pounds per day
for each hog, we get the value of one
acre of rape to be 1900 pounds of
corn, or $42. By deducting from this
amount the cost of SIS. we have SGT
as the profit per acre. 1t must be un-
derstood, tho, that rape alone will not
be profitable with any animals. Corn,
or some kind Of grain, must be fed in
connection with the pastprage.
The outlook for a winter cabbage
crop in Florida is not bright. Re-
ports are that very large crop is
being grown in the northen states Co
be kept In storage until spring, and
this will mean cheap prices. Already,
Iowa cabbage are selling for $25 a
ton In st. Louis and New York fiat
cabbage are bringing the farmers
only $3.50 per ton in bulk. Probably
the best thing for our growers to do,
II to reduce their acreage consider
ably and make special effort TO pro-
duce crop OF extra quality and yield
on the land they do plant.
With no immediate help in sight
for the peanut growers, it looks as if
the best thing for most of our farmers
to do in the way of cash crops for
another year is to hold on to hog rais-
ing and, increase their poultry pro-
duction. Hogs will always bring cash,
whether at profit or not. while corn,
peanuts and some other things are
sometimes slow sale at any price And
as for poultry, there is a cash market
every day in the year right here in
FLORIDA for all that can be grown IN
Marion county. The only thing nec-
essary to reach it is the proper mar
keting machinery This can easily be
provided by the farmers themselves
and soon viii be by the farmers
union II homegrown feeds are
largely used in raising poultry and
eggs and these products marketed
comparatively in a way TO make Mar
ion county noted as poultry section
there il no reason why our farmers
could not become prosperous on this
type of livestock farming alone. No
hope of profit, tho, is held out to any
one who intends to buy all the feed
that the poultry must have.
VIM. A. Sessions,
County Agent.