Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-07-15

mas alreaQy Deen producing Tor nine
years and is still in good condition.
A gross yield of more than thirty-siX
tons Der acre in this period of time
shows the remarkable possibilities
Of this crop. According to- the last
census there were only 2,T35 acres
Of alfalfa under cultivation in Geor-
/ gia. How has it happened that this
| gold mine has been overlooked so
long? The latent possibilities of
| alfalfa for service to our people are
almost unlimited. There should be
an area Of it on every farm. A ton
of 1t approximates in feeding value
Il ton Of wheat bran. We may use
alfalfa to largely replace concen-
trates in our dairy and live stock
production program. Let US cap
italize this crop and plant it on a
basis which our natural conditions
| justify, and which the experience
Of this institution fully warrants as
essential.
We are making some progress
along the lines OF developing farm
| management into a basic science.
" whole. 1t is the coordination of
all the best information about crops
and live stock into sound, practical
farming systems.
| At present the agriculture Of
| Georgia is in a state of flux. No
prophet is wise enough to see what
will be the outcome Of the trans.
formation through which we are now
| passing. But the studies of our
farm management section on the
cost Of producing crops will serve
as guide posts, pointing the way to
a greater prosperity for the farmers
of Georgia. These studies show
how many leaks and sources of loss
can be eliminated and the profitable
crops separated from the unprofit-
able ones.
The time will never come again
when the old free and easy methods
Of haphazard cropping can be fol-
lowed. Intensive production must
be the slogan from this time for
ward. More attention must be paid
to the efficient use of labor and ma
chinery, the inter-relationship of
crops and the economic handling of
live stock. All Of this calls for the
organization of the farm on a sound
business basis, founded on The study
of accurate fatm records. 1t is thus
easy to see that farm management
is destined to- become an e7er-in-
creaSing factor in dete. mining the
success which shall attach to our
farm operations in the lture.
The farm management section
needs strengthening to enable ii to
cope with the many rrblems that
press for solution Clerica! help is
correlating the large amount of
data that has been assembled. If
clerical assistance were available
much more effective use could be
made OF such sources Of informa-
ton as the United States cnnusus
reports, crop estimates, price data
from the bureau of labor, and other
statistical data relating to the
economics of agriculture.
The Control and Eradication of Nut
Grass
F. c., Paris, Tex, writes:
What is the best method of get
ting rid of nut grass? Is there
any better smother crop than
velvet beans? This is valuable
land and used for gardening,
and there are several patches of
nut grass which I would like to
! destroy before it spreads.
The best method Of fighting nut
| grass according to our experience
is through the use of smother crops.
and there is nothing better for this
purpose than velvet beans. This
| crop, when once we'll established,
makes a dense cover over the land
| and so thoroughly shades the ground
that practically all sorts of weeds
are choked out. We have found
this a most effective crop for this
purpose on the college farm. We
should think that it would prove
even more desirable for use as a
smother crop in Texas than it does
in Georgia.
You may pasture down the velvet
beans, If you please, or if you are
| so situated that you can make the
crop into hay, it will be all right to
follow this method of disposing
Of it. In this part of the country
we often turn them under for the
enrichment Of the land. AS soon as
this has been accomplished and the
ground Is well worked down, we
would again plant the land to oats
seeded at the rate Of one bushel per
acre together with eight to twelve
pounds Of crimson clover and about
twenty pounds of hairy vetch. This
makes an effective winter smother
crop. The vetch and crimson clover
| give bottom to the oat crop as you
no doubt know from personal ex-
| perience. This combination crop
makes very excellent hay, yields of
two tons and upward per acre often
being obtained therefrom. Next
spring we would again seed the land.
Bermuda Grass, the StocI1man's
Friend
| n IT Canton Ga wTitnS.
wish some information relative
to Bermuda grass. On one of
my farms there is coming on a
young crop of this grass and
most people in this section seem
to think that it is very ruinous
to the land. I would like your
opinion Of this, and wish to
know If it can be used to ad-
vantage as pasturage for cattle
and hogs.
Bermuda grass Is the best pasture
grass available for utilization on the
red lands of the state of Georgia. It
will stand more heat and grazing
than any of our tame grasses. It
may seem to burn up during a dry,
hot spell, but it's roots will retain
their vitality and the grass will
thrive admirably as soon as a little
shower comes. The carrying capac.
ity of Bermuda grass per acre is
equal to that Of any of our tame
grasses, and it proves an excellent
pasture for both cattle and hogs. 1t
forms a dense sod which is not
easily broken, and therefore prevents
the washing and erosion of land.
Where one has to provide pasturage
for live stock, Bermuda grass should
be utilized largely and not forced and
treated like an enemy as frequent
ly has been the case. One objection
to Bermuda grass Is that it is only
available for grazing purposes dur
ing the summer months. If bur