ITS ADVANTAOhSI ITS CONDITIONS I ITS PROSPECTS I 



tus). Koutueky blue ra^ss (poa pratcusis), 

 (ill good soils coiihiiiiiiif; lime, aucl L-rosted 

 dd.ntail (cyiiosaii nis ciistatus). 



'i lie followiiif; now and imported grasses 

 liavc lict'ii very siu'icssfiil, Ijiit the seed 

 are dilHcult to olitaiii : 



Hairy oat (avena steriles), growth like 

 oommoii oat (aveiui saliva), auK is an aiv- 

 nnal, Japanese rye (ugropyrum japoni- 

 cnin). a perennial of great merit, growing 

 ihrougli ilie fall, winter and spring and 

 eaten greedily l)y stock. 



lironnis pinnatus. a coarse, rank grass, 

 gro\\ ing mainly in winter; phaiaris eoe:-n- 

 Icscens. fl snmmer grass of great merit, 

 and panicnm palnuul. a summer grass of 

 wonderful growth and strong rei)njd>iet- 

 i\f power, with large, wide blades and 

 full seed lieads. 



Itronuis inermis has succeeded upon dry, 

 i-i<'li soils. Texas blue grass, propagated 

 best from roots, is strongly recommended 

 for higli lands as a winter pasture. 



It must be remembered that no oilti- 

 \-.ited grasses will succeed upon poor, 

 badly prepai'ed soils: therefore, in going 

 into grass culture prepare lands thor- 

 oughhly by growing tirst crops of— 



(jlovers, eowpeas, vetches or alfalfa, 

 which prepare the soil for all kinds of 

 grammiceae. Of Hie clovt'rs; White clo- 

 ver grows in great luxuriance naturally 

 all over the bluff and alhivial lands of 

 south Lituisiana. It furnishes an abund- 

 ant imsturage in wintei' and eaily sitring. 



Ued clover can be grown anywhei-e ui 

 the state, provided the soil be lirst en- 

 riched and sown in early fall. It is. how- 

 ever, noi so certain a crop as cduimon 

 clover, which, when sown in the fall upon 

 fairly good soil, will nearly always give 

 a remunerative return of hay. It is an 

 annual, and the seed must be carefully 

 harvested each year for reseeding. since 

 those dropped by the plant germinate at 

 once and are kflled by the heat t)f the 

 summer. This clover is particularly to be 

 recommended upon the light lands nf the 

 state, as the clover best a(laj)te(l to them, 

 but it would be V)etter even here to grow 

 and turn under a good crop of eowpeas 

 before seeding the land in it. Alfalfa 

 (medicago saliva) is especially apiilicalde 

 to the rich alluvial bottoms of the slate, 

 or to very rich uplands. It should be 

 seeded in September or October, at the 

 rate of fifteen pounds |)er acre. The land 

 should be well drained and d<",'i>ly i)lowed 

 and well pulverized. If a gool stand be se- 

 cured as nuiny as eight cuttings per year 

 may be obtained. It will, if properly 

 cared for, last several years. It is the 

 only crop on our bottom lands that will 

 occupy the ground throughout the year. 



Lathyru.s— Of the three varieties, sa- 

 tivus, siivestris and hirsutus. which have 

 been tested, only the last is to be reomi- 

 mended. It springs up in the late fall, 

 grows tlirough the winter, fruits in the 

 spring and (lies. From the seed dropped, 

 it springs up again the next year. 



Vetches— Vicca villosa, sowii in the fall, 

 have given fairly g«od results. The other 

 species liave not proven successful. 



Soja heans (geycene hispida) have done 

 well upon the light hill lands of nerth 

 and east Louisiana. ElsewlKM-e in the 

 state they have produced good vines, but 

 little fruit. 



California, or burr clover (medicajo 

 maculata). grows well all oxcv the state, 

 but It makes an inferior hay not generally 

 relished liy stock. 



Beggar lice, or ticks (desmodrum molle), 

 grows luxuriantly most anywhere in the 

 state, and when cut young gives a hay 

 which is grcatlv relished bv stocL. 



Sp.'inish IV^anuts— This plant is now 

 largely grown for forage. The vines, with 

 their adherent pods, are cured into hays- 

 and fed to all kinds of sto(di. They also 

 are great soil imjirovers. 



UIOK.MAN" A.M) GOLDEN WONDER 

 MILLET 



have been grown successfully all over the 

 state. For hay purposes it should be 

 cut before it forms seed. 



(owpeas (dolichos sinensis) is the 

 "boss"' crop of the southern states. It 

 can be used as a soil restorer, a hay croi> 

 and a grain crop. 'i'here are many 

 varieties — some bunch and some runners. 

 When the berries are desired for food the 

 former is best used; when hay or soil im- 

 j)rovement is desired the latter subserves 

 our purposes. The caly, red tory, blacR 

 and unknow-n are running varieties. Tbe 

 last is perhaps the best pea known, mak- 

 ing a large (uiantity of vines, and, late 

 in the season, a full crop of berries. 



There is not a well-drained acre in the 

 state that cannot, by the application of 

 nuneral manners, in conjunction wi'th 

 the growing of cowjieas, be made very 

 rich. All rational farming involves a sys- 

 tem of rotation of crops, and any rotation 

 of cro[)s in the south that omits the cow- 

 liea is an egregious blunder. 



SOILING AM> FORAGE CROPS. 



The saccharine s.irghnms are perhaps 

 <o be iiref(>rred to jrll others. Planted ii) 

 early spring, two or more crops cam be 

 cut during tlie ye;ir. All stock relish then* 

 and at least (i to 10 tons of dry fodder 

 masji- be had at a cutting. 



Next to these come teosinte (reaua 

 luxunaus), which on rich land gives au 

 immense criip. Of (he non-sacchariue 

 sorghu-ms the yellow inillo maize is prob- 

 acy to be preferred, if fiorage is desired, 

 followed by white nnllo maize, large 

 African mi'.lot. Kaltir corn. Jerusalem corn, 

 Egyptian corn and wheat. If seed be 

 desired the large African millet and 

 KaHir corn will give the best results. 



Pearl millet (penicellaria specala), is 

 i:sed largely for soiling in the spring and 

 fall. 



VEGETABLES AND FRUITS. 



All of the leading varieties of vegeta- 

 bles are grown all over Louisiana. Ex- 

 cept around New Orleans and along the 

 lines of our leading railroads, they are 

 grown only for home use. However, the 

 aggregate of trucks raised for market 

 in this state is enormous and is con- 

 stantly on the increase. Most of out 

 railroads now furnish (luick transporta- 

 limi in refrigerator cars. Around New 

 Orleans and along the Illinois Central 

 Railroad the bulk of the vegetables and 

 fruits for market is grown. Imttiense 

 (luantities of cabbages, onions, tomatoes, 

 beans, peas, strawberries, Japanese 

 plums, canteloupes, etc., are shipped 

 every day during the season. Cucumbers 

 and eggplants raised both under glass 

 and in the open air are special subjects 

 of profit, and .are grown in great quanti- 

 ties. In the parish of Tangipahoa are 

 many thousand acres of strawberries, 

 which return yearly many thousands of 

 dollars to the owners. Japanese plums 

 and persimmons, Le Conte and KeifHr 

 pears are al*) raised largely and per- 

 fectly here, and can be successfully growi> 

 everywhere in the state. The country 

 along the line of the Illinois Central 

 Railroad is especially adapted to truck 

 gardening and fruit growing. So, too. 



