PROCURING GOOD SEED, 13 



drought and freezing are injurious, and often fatal to the young, 

 and even the matured plant. 



CLOVER SEED. 



One of the greatest difficulties in securing a good seeding 

 of clover is that large amounts of poor seed have been thrown 

 upon the market. A seed has which been injured by dampness 

 in the stack before threshing, causing it to sprout, and often 

 to ferment ; such seed, when sold to farmers, must, of course, 

 result in a failure. 



Every farmer should know that his seed is good, and the 

 surest way of knowing is to secure it himself from his second 

 crop, in proper time, and with great care ; and he should see 

 that it is properly cured and kept dry until threshed and used. 

 Clover seed kept through the Summer in bulk, even in mode- 

 rate quantities, unless it be very dry, is liable to heat, which 

 will destroy its germinating power. 



SOWING CLOVER SEED. 



I usually sow it with timothy seed, — about four quarts 

 of the former, and six of the latter, to an acre. 



If the clover takes well, it will crowd out most of the 

 timothy ; if the clover fails I have thus a chance for a crop of 

 timothy. 



FERTILIZERS. 



Farmers have so many different departments and interests 

 to look after, that many are very liable to neglect the renova- 

 tion of their soil, a neglect that is fatal to ultimate success. 

 As vegetation in its many forms, aiad in decomposition, is about 

 the only available fertilizer in this country, it is of the utmost 

 importance, that every thing of the kind be utilized to the 

 very best advantage. 



TOP DRESSING. 



Top dressing with barn yard manure and all other forms of 

 vegetable matter, where meadow and pasture lands are designed 

 ultimately for cereal products, is the best disposition that can 

 be made of them ; and the more decomposition that goes on 



