The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 89 



tell just what is possible on these lands in the way of profitable 

 live stock Lndlustry. In my judgment, this latter method is by 

 far the better and more economical. 



I have already stated that my own opinion on this whole 

 matter is optimistic. I want again to caution you that opinion 

 and demonstrated knowledge are two radically different things. 

 I would not hesitate to give any man my opinion but I would 

 also caution him that it was my opinion and that there was no 

 place he could see the thing demonstrated at the present time. 



I want to go into some details as to the facts on the raising 

 of forage on these lands which lead me to have optimistic 

 opinions. In the first place, various forage crops can be grown 

 profitably on these lands, and with a very moderate amount of 

 fertilizers, if any. Among summer crops are peanuts, velvet 

 beans, beggarweed, and soy beans- — all legumes. For winter 

 crops oats and rye can be grown with a high degree of success, 

 and where the land is more fertile you can bring in bur clover 

 and vetch. These crops all require the fitting of the land each p^j-^g^ Easilu 

 time they are planted, and will probably repay the use of a rel- Grown on 

 atively small amount of fertilizer. In the way of perennial forage Cut-Over 

 crops we have Japanese sugar cane, that will raise more tonnage Lands 

 per acre than any other crop similar to it, and when once estab- 

 lished it is good for from six to twelve years without replanting. 

 It is an excellent silage plant, and abundantly repays any use 

 of fertilizer. 



Another perennial forage crop which I believe is going to 

 cut a large figure in the utilization of these lands is the perennial 

 legume kudzu. At Arlington Farm, we have been able to raise in 

 each of the past three years over five tons of kudzu hay per acre, 

 double what we could get from cow peas. It prefers apparently 

 a clay subsoil, but I have seen excellent growth of it on sandy 

 loam. Then there are various other forages you can grow on 

 these lands as soon as you have built up the fertility a little — 

 corn and sorghums, millets and various other plants. 



The real forage difficulty is the pasture problem. You can- 

 not conduct profitably any animal industry on a large acreage 

 without the use of permanent pasture. Now, the permanent native 

 pasture on these piney woods lands consists of broom sedge and 

 various wiry grasses, which may be grouped under the name 

 or wire grass. These grasses furnish very poor feed. For two 

 or three months in the spring they give fair pasturage ; after that 



