St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-04-23

4 A. l4s i e." =.
blowing under the peas each time,
and then growing cane for two years.
The results obtained have been ex-
ceedingly encouraging, almost or
quite as much cane can be produced
on half the plantation as previously
had been grown en- tWo-thirds Of it
with "a 3-year rotation"
In the principal syrup-producins
localities, unlike the sugar planta-
tions, the farmer can usually select
for his cane patch a location that had
a specially favorable treatment
Thus, for small patches a favorite
practice is to shift the coWpea area
from year to year, and pillow up the
old area to plant in sugar cane.
Very good results are obtained by
manurlng very heavily a field to put
into sweet potatoes; then in the sue
ceeding years planting it in cane.
To obtain the requisite amount Of
manure the cane begasse (also call
ed pomace or mash) is put in liberal
quantities into the tables or corrals,
to be worked up into manure, and
then, after it has had about a year
to rot, it is applied to the sweet po-
tato ground. In some localities it is
rows relatively wide spacing and TO
plant i'll the middles a quick-matur-
ing crop like Irish potatoes, giving
this crop moderate additional APP
plication Of fertilizer"
Saccharine Sorghums.
The sweet sorghums might be
found more profitable in this section
than sugar cane They fit more east
~ into rotation system, and they
have considerable uses besides the
making Of syrup from their juicy
stems. 'They are also grown ex-
tensive1y for forage, being used as
hay, fodder, or silage..' "The seed
makes fine food for either stock or
poultry, and may be ground into flour
for human consumption. It has q
food value equal to 80. per cent Of
corn, and sells, commercially for
about the same price" For rough
age, when properly cured it is equal
in feeding value to timothy hay and
corn stover, while it ranks next to
corn as silage crop"
LAS soon as the seed are in the
dough stage, the crop should be har-
vested says writer in Modern
Farming. "This is the time that the
plant contains the highest sugar con-
tent, and when the juice is in the
best condition to make the best
syrup. The blades are pulled before
the cane is cutsfor the mill. Cen
orally, the stalks are then cut and
the heads chopped Il off with some
heavy knife, dried and stored SO as
to prevent holding or heating
Thus a grain crop is obtained in ad-
dition to syrup, which is an item to
be considered. Also as it is planted
from seed, there is less labor cost in
planting sorghum than cane.
For syrup production sorghum
should always be planted in rows :
or 3 10 feet. apart Seeding
should be done so that the plants
will he very evenly distributed and
average a distance Of to 6 inches
| IN the row The quantity Of seed
required to plant an acre is small,
varying from 2 to 5 pounds, depend.
ing upon rate and method of plant
ing"
s"Indications from farm producers
of syrup. indicates thai the usual
yield is from Ito to 200, with AT
leverage of lis, gallons per acre.
The leaves, which make a good cattle
flood, when green weight on an aver
age about ten per cent Of the topped
cane. The seed yields from to 80
bushels to the acre, with an average
of about 10 bushels.
| Sorghum As Forage Crop.
| ''As a hay scrop the mixture OF
coWpeas and sor ghum grown to-
gether, constitutes We1l-balanced5
ration, and is relished by all kinds
of farm stock So used t.the best
rate to SOW is about ! bushel of cow
peas and half a bushe1 Of sorghum
seed to the acre z AS soiling crop
says Farmers Bulletin 1928, dairy
man linear Atlanta, Ga, states that
he kept Is cows in good condition
from the middle of June until the
Hast of September. by the use of Am
Der Surghum grown on IL acres.
A Missouri bulletin says: Sorghum
deserves a good place in the list OF
useful short-lived forage crops for
hogs in hot weather and drouths.
1T is especially useful on account OF
the large number of hogs it will pas
ture, furnishing enough forage for.
twenty or thirty hogs per acre. s
good .combination for hog pasture IS
sorgIhm planted lin rows alternat-
ling with cat-tail millet. Sorghum
will not Withstand the close grazing
that gives the best results with mill
Ilet. But the young millet being the
more tender is mere relished by hogs
and hence is eaten first, when the two
crops are grown in the same field,
thus allowing the sorghum to at
tain sufficient size to return good
] yield Of forage" Or these two crops
may be grown III different parts OF
| the same field to the same effect.
Here in the saccharine sorghum
We have plant Of great adaptnbill-
ty, rought-resistant, and utilizable
in a great many different ways. But
it requires soil preparation similar
] to corn and is available for continu-
GUS use on our soils only in crop
rotation where legumes make up an
important part The reader by this
time must have. sufficiently ecquaint-
ed himself with the principles OF
plant growth in relation to drainage
to recognize without reiteration the