FARMS. . 71 



has brought the trees into good condition and bearing. I have 

 been very careful not to cut the tops excessively — never having 

 allowed more pruning than would clear out the dead wood and 

 suckers ; for I am satisfied that you may apply severe treatment 

 to the root of an old tree with benefit — but you cannot cut the 

 top liberally, either for grafting or pruning, without in a short 

 time destroying the tree. The land occupied by one orchard I 

 have devoted to grass crops — rye-grass, oats and barley cut 

 green, clover, ttc, ploughing it every spring and manuring it 

 fairly ; and I have found it beneficial to the trees, besides giving 

 me as good crops as can be raised on shaded land. I would add 

 here, what I have repeatedly stated elsewhere, that I have no 

 faith in the profit of orchards. 



Grass. — Much of my land is devoted to grass, and is pecu- 

 liarly adapted to it ; and every course of husbandry which I 

 adopt is with a view to obtaining as large a supply of this valu- 

 able crop as possible. Timothy and clover grow most readily 

 'on the strong clayey soil ; redtop is seldom seen, except slightly 

 intermixed with the Timothy ; and, when the latter has run 

 its course, it is followed by a thick, heavy, not coarse growth of 

 clover. In seeding down land which has been devoted to a 

 series of corn and root crops, I sow my grass seed with barley, 

 as the best grain I can find for the purpose. This is done as 

 early in the spring as the land will admit — early sown barley 

 being usually the best ; and, by thus making a long season, I 

 am supplied with a good cut of clover after the barley is har- 

 vested. Half a bushel of Timothy, half a bushel of redtop, 

 and ten pounds of clover, is my rule for seeding. 



When I would renew the grass, in land that is too stiff for 

 easy cultivation — I have considerable of this — I plough after 

 haying, generally in August, and seed it down to grass alone, 

 using the quantities mentioned above, without the clover. In 

 doing this I plough eight inches, with any common sod-plough, 

 which will lay the furrow' as level as possible ; I then roll with 

 a heavy iron roller : apply twenty-five ox-cart loads of com- 

 posted manure to the acre ; harrow with Geddes' harrow, by 

 far the best implement for this purpose that I have ever used ; 

 brush or harrow in lightly the seed, and roll again. This 

 process has never failed to give me a heavy grass cro}) the fol- 

 lowing year. Twelve acres, which last year yielded but half a 



