THE GRASS CROP 



5 



coming into general use as a hay crop in recent years. 

 In the vicinity of Augusta, Georgia, on both sides of 

 the Savannah River, considerable hay is grown for the 

 local markets. The same is true in restricted local- 

 ities in northern Florida. In general, however, the 

 prevailing system of farming consists of growing cotton 

 and corn. This system has thoroughly worn out the 

 soil except in the richer alluvial sections, so that good 

 crops are seldom produced, even with the stimulus of 

 commercial fertilizers, which are universally applied — 

 at least, to cotton — in all the older settled sections. 



Regarding the profit from hay farming in the 

 South, Mr. F. A. Quinett, who operates two large hay 

 farms near New Orleans, says, in a letter to the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture: " Formerly we found it difficult 

 to sell our hay. We now have the best patronage, and 

 are unable to meet the demand. One hundred acres 

 last year gave about four hundred tons of hay, which 

 "we sold at $10 to $14 per ton. We consider the hay 

 business decidedly more profitable than any other style 

 of farming." 



The next group consists of the States of Tennessee, 

 Kentucky, and Virginia. In these, the grasses are 

 largely confined to certain localities ; in Virginia, to 

 the valleys between the mountain ranges in the west- 

 ern part ; in Tennessee, to the mountain valleys of the 

 east, and to the limestone soils of the central part of 

 the State; in Kentucky, largely to the northern border 

 and the north central part. In these three States the 

 percentage of grass-lands ranges from 5 to 6.3. 



The third group consists of those States in w 7 hich 

 agriculture is most w T idely diversified, and the agricul- 



