No. 105.] 415 



larly sheep had suffered by it. It occasioned scouring, and by keep- 

 ing the bowels out of order for some time, they died. Grass on his 

 meadow lands runs out. If he did not wish to break up the land, he 

 had gone over it with a scarifier, and sown the grass seed after it, 

 bushing it in, with good success. Some meadows, however, requir- 

 ed plowing up. It was decidedly best to sow timothy in the fall. As 

 to quantity of seed, people generally err in not using enough — he 

 used it liberally. He usually got about two tons of hay to the acre. 

 In the latter part of the season it would sometimes make enough in 

 one day. 



Mr. Mack said that although some regarded his claim to be con- 

 sidered a farmer as rather equivocal, he thought he had a good right 

 to the title. He had a farm on which he spent his summers, and on 

 which he had expended $10,000 within a few years. He felt a great 

 interest in farming, and the subject before the meeting was one of 

 the most interesting departments. He always directed his men to 

 make hay as rapidly as possible. He had often made it and put it 

 in the barn in one day, and never had better hay. He was always 

 particular to secure it from dew when it must be left over night. It 

 is said by some who had much practice in making hay, that it is 

 never injured from its own internal juice, but only from rain or dew. 

 He has not had much experience in sowing grass, but generally sows 

 timothy and clover in the spring — had found the best results from 

 sowing on snow. From what he had learned, however, he thought 

 it best to sow timothy in the fall. 



Mr. SoTHAM did not like the plan of salting hay, neither did he 

 like hay that was made in one day. If it could be so made that it 

 would take no hurt, in one day, it must have been too dry for good 

 hay before it was cut, or else very light burden. He would as soon 

 have good bright straw for cows or sheep, as timothy hay after it had 

 gone to seed. He cuts clover when a part of it is in blossom and 

 part in the head. Cuts all his grass early. It takes longer to make 

 hay cut thus early, but for cows and sheep, especially, it was a great 

 deal better. The objection to salting hay was, that animals were 

 forced to eat salt whether they wanted it or not, and it made sheep 

 scour. His hay came out of the barn of a bright green color, and his 

 stock would fatten on it. There was another great advantage in 

 cutting early — the roots retained their life and strength better, and 

 the after feed and future crops were much more abundant. He did 

 not Hke timothy for hay — he never saw it in England — the farmers 

 there thought it was too coarse and wiry for stock. Rye grass made 

 good hay — would yield in England two tons per acre. Pacey's was 

 the best variety — red-top made good hay. He had tried sainfoin — it 

 did not come up well — there was always a difficulty about it in this 

 respect, because the seed was good only a short time — it could hard- 

 ly be brought across the ocean and vegetate. If we could get it here 

 it would be very valuable, especially for dry lands. As to pasturing 

 mowing lands, some land would not bear it — particularly if wet — 

 but he fed his dry lands very close, in the fall, with cattle and sheep, 

 and experienced no damage from it. 



