t> TH FARMER'S MANUAL, 



warm, loose, or light earth, which will readily receive 

 the air and moisture, to nourish your corn. The 

 manner in which these unite, or combine in produc- 

 ing vegetation, I have considered under the Article 

 Gypsum. 



^ Your corn being dressed and hilled ; watch your 

 English meadows critically ; cut your English spire- 

 grass when green, as soon as the blossom appears, 

 it is then the best of hay ; if you suffer it to stand 

 until the seed begins to form, and the stalk turns yel- 

 low, it becomes tough and wiery, and from being the 

 best, it becomes very soon, in this state, the worst of 

 hay; therefore, I repeat, watch it critically, and 

 when it comes to perfection, suffer no possible avoca- 

 tion to delay your cutting. 



Your timothy claims also alike attention ; this, when 

 cut in early blossom, is the best horse, or stock hay, 

 next to the English spire-grass, and by some is pre- 

 ferred for horses, even to this ; but if you suffer it 

 to stand until the blossom falls off, and the seed be- 

 gins to form, and the stalk, or even the under leaves, 

 begin to turn, the true value of your crop is lost, and 

 your hay becomes comparatively bad ; therefore, cut 

 your English and timothy when in blossom, and cure, 

 by spreading into three swath winrows, all swaths 

 cut before noon ; turn it lightly as often as your time 

 and hands will permit ; and get into cock by 5 or 6 

 o'clock, all the hay spread upon your field ; this is 

 both safe and profitable, both as to time and expense, 

 as well as in the value of your hay. You may 

 take a second cutting to advantage from your English 

 spire-grass, but never from your timothy, or herds- 

 grass, without an injury to the crop the succeeding 

 year ; therefore, be content to take the second growth, 

 by feeding lightly, and suffer as great a coat to lie on 

 the ground over the winter ns possible ; the next year 

 will repay you with interest, , 



Your common meadows of mixed, wild and coarse 

 grasses, will claim vow attention in regula^. stvcces 



