WORCESTER SOCIETY. 181 



and going to seed, tend to choke and diminish very much the 

 succeeding crop. 



In regard to harvesting this crop. By long and repeated ex- 

 periments, I am satisfied there will be far more value in the 

 crop, both as regards the corn, but more particularly the fodder, 

 besides much saving of labor, to cut the whole to the ground, 

 and stook, not to bind in bundles, but taking five rows at a 

 time, using a standing hill in the centre row, to set up around ; 

 first cutting two or three hills, and using a stalk of the stand- 

 ing hill to coil round them, so that they will stand for the re- 

 mainder, say fifteen hills in all, to be set up around them, then 

 bind above the ears with rye straw, (or stalks if you will pre- 

 pare some, by drying enough to toughen them,) then turn over 

 the tops, and bind again. All this can be done in much less 

 time than that required to cut the stalks, bind, carry out and 

 stook ; besides if you have turnips, ruta baga, or pumpkins, in 

 your field they will mature much faster. The corn should not 

 be cut up so soon by one or two weeks, as the proper time for 

 cutting stalks. 



I have, latterly, become much in favor of the rye crop, 

 though formerly in the mistaken practice of many, sowing re- 

 peatedly old plain fields, without any rest to them, or any dress- 

 ing with manure ; sometimes also, taking up old pasture land 

 in the same manner, hardly ever getting paid for my labor, get- 

 ting, seldom, more than ten bushels to the acre, sometimes not 

 more than five, and even not more than my seed. 



I was induced, some years since, by an interview with the 

 growers of wheat at the West, to enter upon an experiment, as 

 follows : I had ten acres of plain land, which had been used 

 for rye, and sometimes for buckwheat. As I could not make 

 clover grow on it to plough in, which was my object, I there- 

 fore determined to take one half at a time and manure stoutly, 

 for a corn crop. I had a very fair crop, then followed it with 

 oats or barley and seeded with clover. In this way I succeed- 

 ed in getting a crop of clover of a ton and a half to the acre, 

 to plough in, which I did between the 20th and last of June. 

 My neighbors thought it a great pity to plough in so fine a 

 crop. In ploughing it in, I followed a suggestion I saw in the 

 Ploughman ; to lash a thorn bush to the beam in order to pros- 



