364 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



be grown here. Though the velvet bean does not furnish a green 

 pasture at any season of the year, yet it supplies good foraging from 

 December or January until grass comes in the spring. It is usually 

 estimated that one acre to one acre and a half of velvet beans will 

 be enough to fatten one animal. The cost of growing this crop 

 will be from $5 to $7 per acre. The yield per acre varies accord- 

 ing to conditions, but 1 ton to V/ 2 tons of beans is not too much 

 to expect. 



Bur clover. This furnishes good grazing during the winter 

 months. If one may chance to have a good Bermuda pasture for 

 summer grazing it will be found advisable to sow bur clover on 

 the Bermuda sod (say during October), and disk in the seed. By 

 the middle of December this will have made a good growth and 

 will give good pasturage until April. If not pastured too close, 

 bur clover will reseed itself from year to* year, and in this way 

 will make a permanent pasture. 



SOME HAY CROPS OF FLORIDA. 



Ci'abgrass. This is perhaps the most common hay grass in 

 Florida. It is an annual found abundantly in most cultivated fields. 

 By some it is considered a noxious weed; but if it were not for 

 crabgrass, there would be but little home-grown hay put on the 

 market. Crabgrass requires next to no attention. If the grow- 

 ing crop be given proper attention in the way of cultivation but 

 little difficulty will be experienced in keeping crabgrass under con- 

 trol. After early crops (such as oats, melons, early corn, cabbage 

 and cucumbers) are harvested it comes up voluntarily, and, as a 

 rule, enough fertilizer will have been left by the previous crop to 

 give the crabgrass a good start and produce a good crop of hay. 

 The yield of hay will be from y 2 ton to 2 tons per acre, depending 

 on conditions. 



Beggarweed. Beggarweed, sometimes called Florida clover, is a 

 valuable hay crop ; but it is not grown so extensively as it should 

 be. It is seldom seen in the fields during the time that the crops 

 are being cultivated; but like crabgrass it springs up quickly when 

 cultivation ceases. To make the best quality of hay, beggarweed 

 should be cut before the stems become hard and woody. After 

 such crops as oats, melons, cabbage and cucumbers two good crops 



