A Plea for Grass Culture 295 



draws very lightly upon the fertility of the soil ; it is the 

 least exhaustive crop with which we are acquainted. A 

 thorough preparation of the soil is sufficient for several 

 years ; it requires no attention while growing, and, with the 

 improved machinery for haying, securing the hay crop, 

 if commenced in season, is the pleasantest work of the 

 farm. 



Ask the farmer who represents a very large majority of 

 his class, how much grain he intends to raise the coming 

 season, and he will invariably answer all he can ; implying 

 that he wall have as many acres under tillage as possible, 

 limited only to a certain extent by the fertilizing accumu- 

 lations of the farm ; and objection is made to the direct 

 culture of grass, as thereby the amount of grain that would 

 be raised would be largely diminished. Let us examine 

 this objection. Grain growing requires constant care 

 throughout the season ; it involves a large expenditure of 

 man power. Upon these hills, the planting, the husking, 

 the cribbing, the shelling, must all be done by hand, and 

 whatever is done by hand nowadays is done slowly. 



Dnrino- the o;rowino; season the farmer is the busiest of 



O o o 



all business men ; work presses in every direction ; before 

 one thing can be completed other things have an unpleas- 

 ant way of demanding immediate attention. 



The last hoeing, which cannot be neglected, is performed 

 when the whole force should be vigorously engaged in the 

 hay field. Under the present arrangement nearly the en- 

 tire hay crop has to be secured at an unreasonable time, for 



the farmer, like 



" Don Feniaudo, 



Cannot do inoie than he can do." 



