370 



THE FARMERS' REGISTEK. 



in the ppring, valuable as it undoubtedly if?. The 

 trials above mentioned which the writer has seen, 

 have been with Pacey's rye grass, and though 

 the Italian rye grass would furnish a greater por- 

 tion of lood, supposing it tillered as much as Pa- 

 cey's, which is-iiot the caee, yet it is liable to all 

 the abO'veobjeciiona, and from the observations of 

 the writerit appears excpediniily doubtful whether 

 it will bear an equal degree of frost to Pacey's. 



If is the intention of ihe writer now to stale his 

 experience, and offer hia recommendation olacrop 

 embracing all the advantages oi the preceding, and 

 several peculiar lo itself. It is that oi' rye, eaten 

 in the early stages of its growth. It is intended to 

 intervene between the last crop of the four-course 

 system, which is generally wheat, and to be eaten, 

 and the land ploughed and worked lor a crop of tur- 

 nips. It is equally applicable to all kinds of rota- 

 tions, and would well precede a fallow or a crop of 

 rape. As it is generally upon farms where the 

 four-course system is pursued that spring feed is 

 most wanted, the writer will confine his observa- 

 tions to that rotation. 



So soon as the wheat is cut in the autumn, the 

 plough should be set to work. This may he done 

 even belbre it is caned, during the mornings of 

 harvest. A single ploughing is given, and a very 

 slight dressing of any kind of short manure. In 

 some cases where the liirmerlayson his manure in 

 the autumn, for turnips the ensuing year, it might 

 be better to lay it on belbre the ploughing. Iithould 

 be remembered that the slight dressing should noi 

 all be considered as given to the rye ; in reality it 

 becomes incorporated with the soil, and more inti- 

 mately mixed with it than by the ordinary mode of 

 spreading it on in the autunm, and any pan of it 

 which the rye may abstract, will be more than 

 compensated by the droppings ofthe slock and the 

 carbonic acid gas which ihey evolve while con- 

 suming it ; and which the soil more readily absorbs 

 in the spring than in any other part of ihe year, 

 evaporation going on at that period to a much 

 smaller extent than in any other. 



The seed must be sown upon the plough-seam 

 broadcast, at the rate of 2^ bushels per acre, 

 and if ofthat year's growth, so much the better, as 

 it is earlier and more certain of germination. To 

 this a peck of rape seed per acre should be added ; 

 for although the latter is not able to stand a winter 

 when the frost sets in early and severe, in many 

 cases it will get sufficiently vigorous to resist any 

 ordinary frost, and will much improve the feed in ! 

 the spring. Should the rape not be sown, a peck 

 of winter-tares per acre will improve the feed, or 

 an additional peck of rye may be added ; as a fijll- 

 er bite and excited growth in its early stages will 

 be secured — a point gained when wanted to depas- 

 ture, although it might be injurious if sown for a 

 crop. 



Iri cultivating rye as feed there need be no fears 

 entertained of its becoming " winter proud," for as 

 that only affects the ears of the corn, it is a cir- 

 cumstance of no importance, and therefore the ear- 

 lier it is sown the better able it is to resist the 

 early frosts, as well as havi'-g a better cover and 

 more feed when wanted. When sown it should be 

 thoroughly harrowed, but not rolled — a double with 

 a pair offine harrows is sufficient, and the surface 

 weeds should be gathered off, or the whole raked 

 with the hand, which will more efficiently cover 

 the seed. An advantage is gained to the soil by 



this plowing, which cannot be obtained when the' 

 land is sown with the vetches. The annual weeds 

 on the old surface are prevented fjfcm running to ■ 

 seed, and a new surliice is exposed to the air and 

 frosi. 



The rye will be fit for consuming the last week 

 in March or the first in April, or if allowed to re- 

 main until the middle of the latter month, it will 

 carry a greater quantity of stock. Alter it ia tho- 

 roughly eaten up, it should be freed, and by the 

 firet week in May, will afford another pasture of 

 fine young nutriiious feed ; at least, in ordinary 

 seasons. It is bad management, ihough sometimes 

 practised, to allow the rye to remain uneaten until 

 the eeed-stalk begins to shoot, for in ihat case it 

 will become much less palatable and useful. By 

 consuming it young, it is much more valuable, 

 and ihe succession crop equally so as the first. 



The second crop being consumed, the plough ■ 

 must be put inio operalion, and the soil prepared 

 lor the succeeding crop ; and the advantage of its 

 cultivation, by no means a small one, is, that it 

 interleres with no other crop. 



Perhaps a short digression may be pardoned on • 

 the subsequent preparation of the soil. The wri- 

 ter's practice Is different to (hat of most other per- 

 sons. Usually it is cross-ploughed a fortnight alter 

 its first ploughing. Time is ihus lost, and the slices 

 are cut into squares difficult to be acted upon by 

 the harrow. The writer begins to harrow as soon • 

 as the newly turned up surface ofthe first plough- 

 ing is sufficiently dry. This brings up the lowest 

 part of ihe roots of ihe weeds and clones the inter- 

 sticesof ihe furrows, so that Ihe remains of vegeta- 

 tion being covered, deprived of air, and gathering 

 moisture, begin to decompose. Instead of cross- 

 ploughing, it is again ploughed lengthways, and 

 the old surface again brought up and harrowed. 

 The weeds separate much more easily by this 

 process, and much lime and labor is saved ; the 

 same practice is applied to basiard fiallovva with the 

 same good efiects. 



Rye has the decided advantage of being capable 

 of resisting any conceivable degree of frost, and 

 when even the hardy wheat is carried off by an 

 ungenial season, it will escape injury, and even 

 thrive. At this time (Feb. 21, 1840) the writer has 

 a plot growing lor feed which would now afford 

 more eating than almost any mixture of artificial 

 srrasses in the middle of April, and that on a thin 

 light soil not worth more to rent than 25s. per acre. 

 Some of the rape has succeeded, even in this sea- 

 son of incessant rain, which prevailed not only in 

 the early stages of its growth, but ever since it 

 was sown. It can bear so much and constant wet, 

 worse even than fi"ost. 



The expense of this crop will be somewhere as 

 under. Say per acre — 



2| bushels of rye at 4s. 6d. lis. 3d. 



^ peck of rape, 



lOi 



12 li 



It should be remembered that this interferes 

 with no operation of husbandry, and prevents no 

 crop, so that no rent of land or other extras are to 

 be reckoned — the ploughings would be nearly the 

 same il"the rye were not sown. Nothing is better 

 reiished by stock at the season when it is intended 

 to be used ; a guide by no means unsafe as to ita 

 nutritious qualities, and which is borne out by the 

 condition of the stock feeding on it. 



