Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-09-08

Farm, where purchased feed-hay or
grain-has been eliminated; where so,
called Permanent Pastures have
for years been tried under good prac-'
tlce and abandoned, and where the.
present objective, coming close to-;
realization, is to feed the cows con-
pletely by continuous grazing on an.
nual crops
AS a result of the records kept, j.
A. Arey, extension dairyman advises
that the feed cost at Invershiel is ex--
actly one-nalf of the State average,
and holds the farm record for econo-
mical production of butterfat.
Mr.. Arey has asked me to speak to
you for ten minutes on the subject Of
Grazing or annual crops, so / shall
only touch upon a few points which
! trust may prove of interest.
First, may 1 say that we hope that
Invershiel Farm during the coming
twelve months will reduce the feeding
cost by at least one-sixth. In this
event it will be one-third of the State
average.
Under normal conditions this re-
suit is attainable, but as you know
Nature frequently has good deal to
say about what the farmer does.
This system of allowing the cows
to happily do a large part of the work
has been evolved by taking ideas from
farmers in different sections and
countries and fitting them together
in practice like picture puzzle.
Because crop is good in itself,
life alfalfa, kudzu, or lespesdeza
sericia, it does not follow that it is
suited to a continuous grazing pro-
gram in ones locality.
Before mentioning details I should
say that this system is as suitable and
as economical for one COW as it is for
one hundred.
Good authorities are responsible
for the statement that it can with
notifications be made as good for
beef cattle, hogs or chickens as it is
for milk cows.
The basic plan is to have an album
dance--a surplus Of succulent, nour-
ishing, palatable green feed the year
round and to allow the cows the sat
isfaction of going out to get it in all
acceptable weather.
During the entire summer, and in
winter when the weather is mild, the
COWS Craze night and day and are in
the barn only long enough to be milk
ed.
The farm, whether large or small
must be divided into fields of sizes
proportioned to the number OF cattle,
so that the COWS do not stay on one
field longer than from two to four
days or nights; returning to these
fields in from one to three weeks &C
cording to the kind of crop.
In favorable weather Sudan grass
can be regrazed in week or less but
soy beans should be given a rest OF
about twenty days. A
AS to crops we have so far. gotten
the best results in late Spring, SUM
mer and early fall from Biloxi soy
beans and Sudan grass.
The Blocks supply protein and the
Sudan grass carbohydrates.
Soy beans can be grazed off four
times and may then under favorable
conditions make seed-perhaps SUI
pficient quantity to pay the cost OF
the crop.
An acre will give about 300 COW
grazing days over a disable period OF
three months.
Later planted fields give grazing
over a second period of about TWO
months-the Fall period being short
er because beans hurry to mature
seed in the late Summer.
From the above you will note that
Biloxi soy beans can be counted on
in Eastern North Carolina from June
list for a period of five to five and
one-half months, or until November
list to 15th-4the usual dates for killing
::rosts.
Sudan grass will from early and
| late paintings cover satisfactorily
about the same period, and will carry
from to 5 cows per grazeable acre.
Surplus acreage is strongly recon-
mended, however, as an economical
source of reserve supply of excel
lent hay
We have found that desmodium, OF
beggarweed, is a valuable alternate
for soy beans. Using it in three year
rotation eliminates the danger Of
nemmatodes which might result from
the continuous planting of soy beans
Planting the summer crops in rows
SO that they can be cultivated has
many distinct advantages. This is oul
/ regular practice.
4 Perhaps the greatest advantage
and the one through which we ex
| pect to decrease our feed cost to one
third of the recent State average, is
that it permits interplanting or sow
ing.
This can be started about the mid
die of August and continued during
] the Fall months, with a saving o.
much time and expense.
We find that we can start inter
sowing with bur clover in July as cul
/ tivation simply distributes the bur!
A until the normal time for their ger
4 mination, which is in September anG
October.
Before the last cultivation we SOW
cold proof oats broadcast and after
the last cultivation plant three rows
A of oats in each of the niddles of beans
or Sudan grass
II 1t was of great Importance to learn
n from friend that oats can be sue
cessfully sown between August Is an(
n September Is as when sown at this
II date they supply Axcellent grazing
during November and December.