THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



13 



ny-wise and pound-foolish" economy, having cut 

 ehort the survey, and surrendered the honorable 

 distinction before enjoyed by the commonwealth 

 of Massachusetts, of being the only state of the 

 union that had established so excellent a means ol 

 promoting agricultural improvement. 



Mr. Colman has been invited to take charge of 

 the ' New Genesee Farmer,' and will conduct its 

 editorial department. 



GRASS AND HAY IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, 

 MASSACHUSETTS. 



From the Fourth Report of the Agriculture of Massa- 

 chusetts. Counties of Franklin and Middlesex. By 

 Henry Colman, Commissioner for the Agricultural 

 Survey of the State. 



Grasses. — Grass may be considered as the 

 principal crop. In the hill towns, and vvhat may 

 be called the uplands, the artificial grasses are 

 cultivated, such as clover, (trifolium pratonse.') 

 herds-grass or timothy, (phleum pratense,) and 

 red-top, (^agrostis vulgaris.) -In general, three 

 pecks of red- top, one of herds-grass, and four to 

 six pounds of clover-seed are sown, when land, 

 which has been cultivated, is laid down to grass. 

 The land is laid down with some grain, eiiher 

 wheat, rye or oats; and the grass-seed is sown 

 with the grain. Barley is scarcely grown at all in 

 the country. 



The clover predominates the first year ; the 

 herds-grass the second. The clover is nearly 

 extinct at the end of the second year ; and the 

 red-top, intermixed with various natural grasses, 

 which spring up spontaneously, furnishes a- per- 

 manent malting to the soil. In general, not nearly 

 enough seed, particularly of herds-grass, is sown. 

 The consequence is, that the product is very 

 coarse the first and second year, which it would 

 not be, if treble the quantity of seed were sown. 

 Several farmers in the slate, whose authority is 

 entiiled to respect, practise a much more liberal 

 mode of sowing ; and find an advantage in doing 

 it in the improved quality of the hay. The 

 average yield the first year is from two to three 

 tons ; the second it may be estimated at two tons; 

 and lor a continuance of three years afti>rthat, in 

 favorable seasons and locations, it may be rated at 

 one to one and a quarter ton per year. These 

 lands in general, are mowed once only in a season. 

 There is an instance in Conway, of a piece of 

 moist land lying at the side and foot of a hill, 

 where the soil is deep, being a rich mould, resting 

 ■ upon a substratum inclined to clay, on which, by 

 copious top-dressings of barn manure, the product 

 has been kept up, and averages yearly nearly 

 three tons to the acre. Of peat lands, I know of 

 no considerable tracts in the county ; and, as yet, 

 no great attention has been paid to the draining, 

 either by open or under-ground drains, of wet 

 lands. The quantity of this kind of lands is not 

 considerable ; but such improvements, where 

 required, would be amply compensated. 



The next quality of grass lands are the alluvi- 

 ons on the Deerfield and the. Connecticut rivers, 

 and small patches on their tributary streams. 

 The alluvial lands on the Connecticut are rarely 



over-Howed, excepting at the breaking up of 

 winter; and they axe, therefore subjected to a 

 course of culiivaiion the same as other arable 

 lands. The rotation on these lands is commonly 

 the first year corn, or potatoes with manure ; the 

 same the second year, and the third year oats, 

 |)ea5e and oats, rye or wheat, with grass. Where 

 broom corn is planted, it generally Ibllows a crop 

 of Indiiin corn ; and is continued often two or 

 more years on the same land. The annual depo- 

 sitesmade upon ihese lands hy the flood are not of 

 great advantage, and the fertility of the soil can 

 by no means be kept up without manure. 



The low alluvial lands on the Deerfield mea- 

 dows, essentially diH'cr from these from a circum- 

 stance already alluded to. The waters on the low 

 Deerfield meadows are set hack from the great 

 river, and remain comparatively quiet ; and in 

 addition to this, the banks and hills bordering the 

 Deerfield and its tributaries are more sleep in 

 general than those on the Conneciicui. Much 

 n;ore enriching matter is thus brought down from 

 ihem to the river in times of rain and freshets. 

 These lands, therelbre, annually and commonly 

 oftener over-flowed, constituting the lowest mea- 

 dows on the Deerfield riv^er, are never ploughed. 

 They require no manure ; and being entirely 

 alluvial and receiving the richest deposites, are of 

 extraordinary and inexhaustible fertility. These 

 meadows are always mowed twice; in some 

 cases, three times ; and the annual yield is gene- 

 rally estimated at three tons to the acre. The 

 hay on these meadows is of a very fine quality, 

 known there familiarly as the English bent 

 (agrostisalba'). li is a natural grass, and formsa 

 fine and impervious sward. 



The upland intervales on the Deerfield, are 

 devoted to culiivation ; and most of this land ia 

 seldom suffered to rest. For hay, the main de- 

 pendence is upon the low flooded meadows : and 

 those low and uneven portions, which it is difficult 

 to reach with the plough. 



An example has been given to me of the pro- 

 duct of one of these low meadows in Deerfield 

 containing nine acres, at a place called Old Fort. 

 The first crop of hay was, - - 25,325 lbs. 



" second crop, - - - 15,120 



40,4-15 Ibe. 

 The hay w.'.s sold and delivered as 



soon as cured, at nine dollars per ton, ^182 00 

 The fall feed, sold (or - . . 450 



S186 50 

 The whole labor was performed by 

 contract at four dollars per acre for 

 both crops, - - - - 36 00 



Leaving a balance in favor of the land 



of $150 50 



The hay was considered as sold at a low rate. 

 The same quality of hay in the following winter 

 brought 13 dollar* per ton. 



The land has been estimated at one hundred 

 dollars per acre. No manure has been put upon 

 the ground. The produce in this case, was not 

 more than an average crop. This yield was at 

 the rate of 4,494 lbs. to the acre. First crop, 

 2,813 8-9 per acre ; second crop, L657 7-9 lb?, 

 per acre. This constitutes some of the best land 

 in the meadows. There is that, however, which 

 is deemed even more productive- 



