96 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



The subject was then laid on the table, and the Board took up 

 the subject of 



The Grass Crop. 



The discussion wap opened by Luther Chamberlain, Esq., who 

 delivered the following lecture : 



The Grass Crop — PreparaMoji of Land, Methods of Seeding, Cut- 

 ting and Curing. 



Mr. President : — 



In years past it was said "Cotton is King." In later yeai*it was 

 said with equal truth, as applicable to the Western States, " Corn 

 is King;" but with us in Maine, and perhaps in all New England, 

 gra^s is the King of crops. This is true taking the world at large ; 

 for the statistics of nations prove that grass is the most remunera- 

 tive and the most necessary of all cultivated crops. 



It is estimated that the hay crop pf Maine for the year 1869 will 

 not fall short of 800,000 tons, and that the crop of this year falls 

 short about one-fourth of the usual average, bringing it to more 

 than 1,000,000 tons 3^early; in value about $15,000,000. Now if 

 we add to this the value of the grass consumed in our pastures, 

 which does or should amount to more than this, we have upwards 

 of $30,000,000 as the yearly value of the grass- crop of Maine. 

 With this $30,000,000 in mind, if we comi)ute the value of any 

 one of the other crops, or all the crops combined, we shall see at 

 once where they stand in the comparison. Still keeping this same 

 $30,000,000 in view, can we not by some means within our power 

 double that amount without increasing our acreage ? Do we 

 throughout the State average more than one ton of hay per acre ? 

 I know of some farmers who boast of having a few acres on which 

 they cut two to three tons per acre, while at the same time they 

 say nothing of three times as many acres that yield less than half 

 a ton per acre. I have seen a very few acres whore a cow ob- 

 tained good forage through the summer on one acre of ground,- 

 and on the same farm I have seen ten acres that would starve two 

 sl'.eep. 



This is not as it should be. Every acre of ground mowed 

 should give from two to three tons of hay, and every acre pastured 

 should be able to feed one cow well. These results can be 

 obtained, but only by careful, judicious, scientific farming. 



It is a natural propensity in man to Add aci"e to acre until he 



