182 



The Plant World. 



We also find land cultivated in the staple crops and making good 

 returns, that would bring larger and more satisfactory returns 

 if it were used for pasture; especially is this true of rolling hill- 

 sides that are liable to wash and soon become very poor if cropped 

 in the ordinary way. On all such lands should be grazing, sum- 

 mer and winter, herds of sheep, cattle, hogs, and other live stock. 



We are very fortunate in the south in having two crops that 

 combine nicely and give us a permanent pasture for nearlv the 

 entire year. Bermuda grass comes in the early spring and gives 

 us excellent grazing until late fall. Burr clover will then come 

 up and give excellent winter grazing for most of the winter and 

 spring months, until the Bermuda comes hack again. This 

 happy and congenial combination of Bermuda grass and burr 

 clover will redeem the poor, unproductive, rolling lands of the 

 south and convert them into dividend earners for the farmer 

 if he will but give these crops a chance to get hold upon the land. 



One of the best demonstrations that may be seen, upon 

 visiting the Alabama Experiment Station, is a small plot of 

 poor sandv hill land sodded to Bermuda grass and burr clover 

 and furnishing excellent grazing for about ten months in the 

 year, to several animals If one should visit this plot of land any 

 time from November to April he would find the ground covered 

 with a rich, luxuriant growth of clover. Bv April the clover is 

 blooming, soon seeds, and passes away, to give place to the 

 Bermuda, which covers the ground from spring to fall. 



Re-cleaned burr clover seed should be sown in the fall, from 

 August to November 1st. It is probably best to have the seed 

 in the ground from September 1st to October 1st. If planted in 

 the burrs, which is the best plan, as the burrs carry inoculation, 

 it should be planted in August if possible. After the plant is 

 once well established it re-seeds itself each year. Bermuda 

 may be planted at any time of the year, but there is some danger 

 of its freezing out if planted too near the surface during too cold 

 weather. The best time is probably from February to April. 



By thus intelligently taking advantage of the natural 

 alternation in time of two very different forage plants, a suc- 

 cession is maintained by which permanent pasture is insured. 

 The economical importance of this principle, when thus applied, 

 in practice, can hardly be overestimated. 



