)60 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



The grasses most commonly cultivated are red 

 clover, white clover, timothy or herds-grass, rye 

 grass, cresied dog's tail grass, vernal grass, trelbil, 

 &c. To this may be added as fodder lor catlle 

 various species of vetch — as well as turnips, car- 

 rots, the sugar beet, &c. The invaluable herds- 

 grass — our timothy {Phlcum pratense,) was ex- 

 tensively cultivated in this country before its value 

 was known in Europe, and has only of late come 

 into repute in the latter country. I believe in 

 America it received its name from having bfen 

 brought Irom New- York to Carolina by Mr. 

 Timothy Hanson. Less merit than this has often 

 conferred immortality on a name. 



A successful and extensive farmer in Scotland 

 gave me the following list of grass seeds, and the 

 quantities of each sown on an acre : 

 Red clover — the variety called Duke of Norfolk's 



cow-grass, {Trifolium pratense.') - 4 lbs. 

 White clover (TV/foZmm /?ejt>e/!s,) - 7 " 

 Rye grass {Lolium perennc,) - 25 " 



Trefoil {Mdicago lupulina,') - - 4 " 

 Sheep's fescue grass (jFestuca ovina,') - ^ " 



In England the ibllovving table, contained in an 

 article by Lawson on grasses, (Quarterly Journal 



of Agriculture, vol. iv.) exhibits the quantity of 

 irrass seeds sown to the acre. It will be recollect- 

 ed that ilie land thus laid down in grass is not in- 

 tended as a permanent pasture, but to be used 

 lor hay and pasture fur a year or two and then 

 again cultivated with grain. — 



LIGHT AND MEDIUM SOILS. 



Lolium perenne, 

 Trifolium pratense, 

 " perenne, 

 " repens, 

 Medicago lupulina. 



One year 

 hay. 



On e year hay 1 On e year hay 



and one year and 2 years 



pasture. \ pasture. 



18 lbs 

 8 " 



00 " 

 2 " 



00 " 



18 lbs. 



6 " 



00 " 



4 " 



18 lbs. 



3 " 



3 " 



4 " 

 2 " 



For heavy soils, 1 lb. of phleuv^ pratense and 2 lbs. 

 of trifoliam pratense are added. 



The following table is added from the same 

 author. It may be useful to our northern and up- 

 country farn)ers, who may be desirous of laying 

 down their lands for meadows or permanent pas- 

 turage. I believe this is the mode now generally 

 approved in England. — 



And common barley or rye, about one bushel additional to such as are sown without a crop. 



In all cases the ground must be ploughed upon 

 sowing the seed. It is scattered broad casi either 

 in March or September, or October, (the autumn 

 month being prelerable,) and the ground is har- 

 rowed and rolled after sowing. In the northern 

 states of America, clover is frequently sown in the 

 wheat field in early spring, and this is occasionally 

 done with the above mixture in Europe. 



In England liirmers differ considerably in their 

 estimate of the various species of grass. In the 

 pasturage on the South Downs, where the forma- 

 tions are of a chalky nature the plant called the 

 Burnet (/'oiej'mm sartguisorta,) seems to cover 

 the whole earth, and is greedily eaten by fine 

 sheep that range on those pastures. This plant, 

 which I have never seen in America, was former- 

 ly cultivated extensively in England for pasturage, 

 but it has, of late years, given way to other more 

 valued kinds. In the mountains of Switzerland, 

 along the highways between Constance, Zurich 



and Berne, and indeed in the whole of the Swiss 

 Alps I noticed the sheep and goals, and even cows, 

 feeding almost exclusively on the rib grass, a. 

 species o{' \)\iM\\a\n {plantago lanceolala) which I 

 have occasionally seen in America, in the vicinity 

 of cultivated fields, where it was evidently intro- 

 duced. I was informed by the inhabitants 

 that the fine flavor of their butter and cheese was 

 imparted to them by this plant. The sweet scent- 

 ed vernal grass (nuthoxantum alpinum,) growing 

 in the same vicinity, may also contribute its aid iu 

 this particular. On the hills ofScotland in the vi- 

 cinity of Loch-Lomond, which, with the exception 

 of their bein2 not wooded, bear some resemblance 

 to the mountains of Virginia, the coumion native 

 grasses, such as the flat stalk meadow grass (poa 

 compressa,) crested dog's tail grass (cynosurus 

 cristatus,) agrostis canina, and several other hard 

 species give nourishment to the extensive flocks 

 coverinir the mountains. The duke of Buccleugh 



