Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1924-07-03
Why Not More And
Better Hay and Forage?
By MARTIN v. CALVIN
Specialist in Agriculture and Econo-
mics, Georgia Department of
Agriculture

There is a vast deal of economics
in the agriculture of today. We are
graphing financial problems on every
hand We have been compelled to
buy a goodly number of farm prod
ucts, such as corn, oats, hay, which
could be produced in abundance on
every farm in every county in Geor-
gia.
/ have before me three statistical
tables | have carefully constructed
with view to arousing interest i'll
the matter of the compulsory purchas-
es to which ! have alluded, but |
much more than they would interest
you-not that they should be lacking
in interest to you; for the fact is,
you ought to have that class of in
| formation at hand so that you would
have opportunity to study it.
l do not give attention to crops i'll
future or the condition of such crops,
when under cultivation: Specialists i'll
that line are wrestling with the propo-
sition referred to. / study the facts
which may be CLEANED from hui
manly perfect record.
We need to keep in mind this incon-
trovertible fact: That the money val
Tie of any crop is inferior to The ade
quacy of that crop. A material ques-
ton is What was the general aver
age yield per acre OF such crop? On
the yield per acre depends the cost OF
production, This is very important.
How often have you thought about
that bold contention?
The figures, which l could spread
before you as to the non production
of hay and forage in Georgia, year
by year, would astound you You see,
if we fail to make hay and forage
enough for the horses, mules and
milk cows on our farms, we must
supply the shortage by buying from
the merchant in town lot OF timothy
hay, corn. and Arab feed We have
been doing that very thing every year
during the fourteen years last past
l9l0-1925. both inclusive, right here
i'll Georgia Aud it has cost us $4,000
900 to $l0.000,000 annually. Did you
know that? 1t is a lamentablc fact.
Brcthern. this ought not SO to be.
Ought it? What say you? Very well,
the shortage, in the crops specifically
referred to. is conceded. There is no
use in crying over split milk. Let us
see if there is not way OF escape
| from the untoward situation which
controlled the past fourteen years.
| There is such way OF escape-a great
broad highway.
The Egyptians required the children
OF Israel to attempt the impossible
make brick without straw. Well, we
can not make a profitable crop OF hay
and forage--a crop that will meet the
necessities of our horses, mules and
| other live stock-without the best OF
seed and without a liberal application
| per acre of a high grade fertilizer.
I Under cow peas and soy beans, tor
| illustration, 400 pounds per acre OF
| high grade 1914 goods, lie: tertill-
ger that will analyzc 10 per cent phos-
phoric acid and per cent potash
| Under Orange cane seed-usually
called sorghum-400 pound per acre
OF 9-2-5 :,
The peas, the beans and cane seed
should be sown or planted between
this date and July 20 i'll middle Geor-
gia and between this date and Au-
Gust Is in south Georgia. found
| that one and a half bushels of Clay
or Unknown peas (to which was ad-
1 ded one peck OF German millet or a
half pushed OF Early Orange cane
seed would yield large and most
excellent crop
| The soil was thoroly prepared. the
fertilizer applied broadcast and har-
rowed in; then the peas were sown
broadcast, followed by the German
milet or the cane seed as per your
preference Watch the peas as they
GROW. As soon as the vines are Ill
| full bloom. and thousands OF tiny
pods are in evidence here and there,
cut the vines for hay. At that time
the millet seed will he in the milk
and the cane plants will be Just right;
that is. the stalks OF the latter VIII
be covered with vegetable wax "a
white. sugary substance which md.
Gates its readiness as safe article or
food for work stock and for milk
cows.
II YOU wait till the pods ripcn and
turn yellow, you will have lost out
right. You had just as well abandon
the crop: let It fall to the ground and
he turned underafter the first nipping
frost Why Because, if the pea-vines
lbe left until the pods are in the Sere
and yellow condition. all the leaves