Forage Plants at the South. 



19 



In order to make winter pastures valuable, 

 the ground should be heavily manured. This 

 manure may be given to the preceding cotton 

 or grain crop. The winter pasture should be 

 the richest land on the farm. It should be 

 prepared as for a barley lot It is impossible 

 to make something out of nothing. The 

 artificial grasses are highly concentrated 

 food, and it is out of the question to raise 

 them on poor, or even moderately fertile 

 land. 



In all well-cultivated countries, it is con- 

 ceded that the wisest use of manure is to apply 

 it to meadow land. How much more valuable 

 is it to apply manure to land which gives all 

 the good results of hay without the cost and 

 trouble of cutting, curing and housing it ? In 

 any movement toward an improved agricul- 

 ture at the South, the first step should be the 

 laying down of rich winter pastures. 



ORCHARD GRASS. 



This valuable grass ranks next in impor- 

 tance to the tall meadow-oat grass for hay and 

 winter pasture. It succeeds very well at the 

 South on drained and dry bottom land, or on 

 rich upland. There is a peculiarity about it. 

 The writer has never observed it to spread 

 from the scattering of its own seeds. From 

 some unaccountable reason the shattered seed 

 does not vegetate, if, therefore, it be sowed 

 too thin it does not fill the gap, and presents 

 an unsightly appearance and gives inferior 

 grasses a chance to occupy the vacant space. 



Orchard grass for hay should be cut as soon 

 as it begins to blossom ; if cut then, the hay is 

 sweet, tender and nutritious, but if the cutting 

 be deferred until the seed has formed, the hay 

 will be hard and valueless. 



After cutting, orchard grass springs rapidly, 

 and the aftergrowth is heavy. This should not 

 be pastured during the summer or fall, but 

 should be reserved for winter grazing. It 

 should be treated as above directed in the case 

 of the tall meadow-oat grass. 



The seed of orchard grass is also very light 

 and chaffy, and therefore two bushels should 

 be sowed to the acre. 



This grass was introduced into England 

 from Virginia, in 1764. It is very highly 

 valued in that country, and in the Northern 

 States it holds a high rank as a hay and pas- 

 ture grass. But its chief benefit is lost at the 

 North, as it cannot be pastured there during 

 the winter. 



Orchard grass is not suited to wet bottom 

 land, but thrives in a rich upland. It grows 

 well in an orchard or in thinned woodland. 

 With the exception of meadow-oat grass, 

 orchard grass stands a drought better than any 

 other of the cultivated grasses. 



Where hay is an object, these two grasses, 

 meadow-oat and orchard grass, should be 

 sowed with red clover and white, as each of 

 the four blossoms at the same time, and is, 



therefore, simultaneously ready for the scythe. 

 They answer also to mix with clover in a rota- 

 tion, where the clover is to stand two or three 

 years, as they mature rapidly, and assist in 

 giving a compact sod. The farmer should re- 

 member, that a sod of good grass and clover 

 turned under is quite equal in value to a costly 

 application of either putrescent or purchased 

 manures. The cultivation of these two grasses 

 at the South cannot be too itrongly recom- 

 mended on soils adapted to them. 



ITALIAN RYE GRASS. 



This is perhaps the most beautiful of all the 

 grasses. On very rich land, the green of the 

 blades almost approaches blackness, and their 

 shining lustre is metallic. It seems to be in- 

 different to climate and texture of soil, requir- 

 ing only dryness and richness. It thrives as 

 well in the severe climate of Scotland as in 

 its native sunny Italy. 



The statements of the yield of this grass on 

 the irrigated lands near Edinburgh are almost 

 incredible. It has been grown with success 

 in all parts of this State, Georgia, from the 

 sandy lands of the coast to the blue limestone 

 lands of the northwestern part of the State. 



It is an annual, and should be sowed in 

 August or September, at the rate of ten pounds 

 of seed to the acre. Italian rye grass sowed 

 in August or September will be ready for 

 grazing in February. Although the return in 

 winter grazing or hay is very large, on ac- 

 count of its being an annual, it is doubtful 

 whether it be really more valuable than bar- 

 ley or rye, for the above purposes. 



BLUE-GRASS. 



This well-known grass is, for certain pur- 

 poses, one of much value. It is supposed that 

 it is adapted only to a limited character of 

 soils and climate. Kentuckians will tell us 

 that the successful growth of this grass is 

 monopolized by the Blue-Grass region of 

 Kentucky. This is a mistake. The lands in 

 Kentucky on which the blue-grass grows with 

 such vigor, will bring fifty to seventy-five 

 bushels of corn to the acre. Make any other 

 lands at the South, unless it be a sand-bed, 

 equally rich, and blue-grass will grow well on 

 them. In fact it is native in localities suited 

 to it all over the South. It will be observed 

 everywhere at the South, about abandoned 

 settlements, to which stock have not had ac- 

 cess, and especially where locust, china-berry 

 or walnut trees are growing, that both blue- 

 grass and white clover have sprung up sponta- 

 neously. The writer has seen it growing in 

 protected spots along the roadsides near Sa- 

 vannah. It certainly has annoyed him by 

 coming an unasked volunteer into hie mead- 

 ows of herdsgrass and timothy in the blue 

 limestone bottoms of Bartow County. 



There are three reasons why it is generally 



