252 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[March 3, 



From the Mass. Agric. Ripos. vol. vi. page 366. 



ON ORCHARD GRASS. 

 Jamaica Plains, 28th Miitj., 1821. 

 Dear Sir. — Knowing your exertions and suc- 

 cess in the Soiling Systetn, anc! having lately read 

 the enclosed piece on the subject of Orchard 

 Grass, which appears so admirably calculated 

 to assist in that object, induces me to send it to 

 you for publication in the Repository. 



I have cultivated this grass for several years 

 past, at the recommendation of a respectable 

 clergyman in Connecticut, and have been much 

 satisfied with it, if cut for hay before it gets too 

 ripe, but have tliought it came up very scatter- 

 ing, considering (he quantity of seed sown, (nev- 

 er less than two bushels per acre, and of my 

 own raising). This year, hoivever, on reading 

 the enclosed paper,l prepared the seed as there- 

 in directed, and put two bushels on an acre, with 

 fan pounds red clover seed, and it has come up, 

 as freely and as thick as my Herds' or Timothy 

 Grass. It was sown on barley, with Bennttt''s 

 broarl cast machine, at the rate of one acre in 

 less than one liour. 



Very respectfully yours, 



JOHN PRINCE. 

 Hon. Josiah <^uincy. 



[From the Farmer^ Magazine for August, 1815.] 



In a letter from Mr. Wm. Falla, Seedsman, 

 Ne-ji'CastU, to Sir John Sinclair, — on Cocksfoot 

 Grass, {Dactylis Glomerata), or., in America, Or- 

 chard Grass. 



On Ihe subjectof Cocksfoot Grass, I beg leave 

 to make the tbilowing observations, which I find 

 I cannot do so well in the way of answers to 

 your queries, as in the manner I adopt. I have 

 for many years dealt in the seed of this grass, 

 with which, till the year 18ly, F supplied my- 

 self from dealers in London. That year, and 

 the season of 1814, 1 purchased it, to a consid- 

 erable extent, of persons who collected it in 

 this part of the country ; but not having been 

 able to induce m.iny agriculturists here to make 

 trial of it, the greatest part of the seed has been 

 sent into other neighbourhoods. The results 

 of the few trials that have been made here, 

 have not been favourable ; not tVoin any fault 

 in the seed, nor unsuilableness of the ground it 

 has been sown upon ; but from its having been 

 sown among corn, generally wheat, and from 

 the seed not having been properly prepared 

 previous to sowing ; without ^vhich, particu- 

 larly shouKi dry weather happen after sowing, 

 generally speaking, it will not vegetate. It 

 should be sown on well cleaned naked ground, 

 with or without clover, and it' the land can be 

 got ready, in the month of iMarch ; if not, any 

 favourable time in April will do; previous to 

 which, the seed should be laid on a barn or 

 other floor, and moistened by water out of the 

 nose of a watering pot, turning it over frequent- 

 ly, and increasing the moisture, if necessary, for 

 at lesst 48 liours, being careful that no heat 

 takes place. By this time the seed will be well 

 Bwelled, and the radicle ready to strike ; and in 

 this state it should he sown, (the ground having 

 been previously harrowed with s light seed 

 harrow), and then brushed in by some means as 

 what is called a bru.sh harrow, which is made 

 here by winding thorns through a gate, and the 

 gate Iskl and drawn horizontally over the land; 



and finally rolled. The quantity of seed sown 

 per acre has generally been two l)tishels ; which 

 is quite enough, if a t'<MV pounds of clover seed 

 are sown witli it; but if it is sown alone, per- 

 ba|)s two and a half or three bushels m-.iy be 

 necessary ; at any rate it will be safer. I sow- 

 ed an acre this s|)ring, which has succeeded in 

 the most satisfactory manner; while soma ol 

 my customers, with the same seed, but sown 

 with wheat, and without the rocummenJed 

 preparation, have totally filled. 1 sold upwards 

 of 20 bushels of cockstbot grass seed, in 1812, 

 to George CJibson, Esq. ol' Slagshaw-honse, 

 which 1 presume, for the want of proper man- 

 agement, (although he is a very judicious and 

 enlightened agricul!Hri«t) totally tbiled. He was 

 inconsequence, very much dissatisfied, -upposing 

 the seed in fault. He having made a serious and 

 second comjilaint resjiecting it in the lollowing 

 spring, aud my clerk having been so fortunate as 

 to find .1 sample thai had been kept of the seed 

 sent to .Mr Gnison, 1 sowed a little of it on a sin- 

 gle square yard of my nursery ground ; and tho' 

 one year old, it grew most charmingly. I am 

 thus particular res|iecling Ibis sample-yard, be- 

 cause 1 made it the means of what I think a very 

 interesting esperimenl, h was sown, as I recol- 

 lect, in the month of March, on ground that was 

 light, and in tolerable good order, but that had 

 had no manure put on it for several years. The 

 grass was not cut, nor in any way disturbed, that 

 year, as I hoped to have had an opportunity of 

 showing it to Mr Gibson ; indeed I had no in- 

 tention of making any other use of it. But in 

 the spring of 1814, it hud so abundant and beau- 

 tiful an ajipearance, that I was. on the SDth of 

 April, (a dry day,) induced to cut and weigh its 

 produce, which 1 found IG pounds, amounting to 

 j the astonishing quantity of thirty four and an 

 \half tons per acre ! and that at a period when 

 i any other green article, fit for soiling, was no; 

 ! above two or three inches long. 1 cut it again 

 ! the 21lh June, and obtained 3 lbs. ; and ng:iin 

 jthelOlh of September, when 1 had 10 lbs. (liotb 

 ! dry days;) making a total, from the three cutt- 

 ings, of 34 pounds, equal to stventy-thrce tuns per 

 acre. 



I observe that wondeiful accounts are given 

 j of the value of this grass, as used in Norfolk, 

 for sheep pasture, of the truth of which I have 

 not a doubt ; but, whatever may be the extent 

 I of its value for that purpose, there cerlainly has 

 j been no article yet recommende<l or used, at 

 'all Comparable to it lor early soiling, the liine 

 I of all others when such an article is particular- 

 ly wanted. 1 must observe, that where cocks- 

 tbot is intended for early soiling, it should not 

 be cut or eaten, the autumn before, later than, 

 I think, the 1st September. In the year it is 

 sown, I do not recommend its being cut or eat- 

 en at all. 



SWEET POTATO. 

 Although, in the northern States, it may flot 

 be advantageous to cultivate this vegetable for 

 any other purpose than as a culinary root, yet 

 as such, it deserves the attention of every farm- 

 er and gardener. It is a cheap and delicious 

 article of food, and will be so considered gen- 

 erally, when it shall have been made use of — 

 .As it requires a little different mode of culture 

 from the common potato, the one most general- 

 ly adopted in the westcriJ States, is subjoined. 



A piece of land that has been previously til- 

 led, and of a rich soil, is selected. After a "deep 

 and thorough ploughing, it is thrown into ridg- 

 es of about one foot in height, and four or five 

 asunder. If the soil is not su/iicientlv rich, 

 in-.uuire is placed in these ridges. The'seed is 

 I planted along the lop, about a loot distant one 

 I from another, and covered with soil similar to 

 J common potatoes. Nothing more is necessary 

 j Ih 111 to keep Ihe weeds down, and, when laro-e 

 j enough, to hill them up at several diti'erent hoe- 

 I ings. In this climate, it would lie well to plant 

 ias early a.« the first or second week in May, if 

 jlhe season will admit. These potatoes when 

 first taken from the ground are much less pala- 

 lalile than after laying in the sun a day or two, 

 or in some dry place. They ought to be dug 

 soon after the vines are killed by' the frost, and 

 the surface thoroughly dried, tiefbre puttin" 

 them into the cellar, which should tie occasion- 

 ally opened during the ni;ld days of autumn. — 

 They keep best in a dry and cool one, and in 

 small heaps. A few square rods ofgroiind mana- 

 ged in the above manner would yield a large 

 supply of this vegetable for family use. 



Massacliusetts Yeoman. 



HORSES. 

 When your horses discharge water plentifully 

 from the mouth, (which some suppose to be in 

 consequence of their feeding on the latter 

 giovvlh of grass,) it is proposed to give 2 spoon- 

 fuls ol fine salt and half a spoonful of fine pow- 

 dered rosin daily, lor 3 or 4 days ; then desist 

 for a day or two ; and repeat it at intervals for 

 a short time. An observing friend who is willing 

 to do good an<l to communicate it, remarks " the 

 benefit experienced from using the above meih- 

 Oil, has been suflicient to authorize its recom- 

 mendation to further trial." — Ohio paper. 



BUOO.M COR.V 

 Rrnom corn is raised in Morris Countv, in N. 

 J. in large quantities, .ifid 600,000 corn brooms 

 are annually m^de, which when sold at jS5 per 

 hundred, yield a clear profit on the labour be- 

 stowed, of' ^25 per acre, to those who are thus 

 employed. Forty bushels of seed> is the aver- 

 age produce of an acre wliich equals oats in 

 value, as an article of food tbr cattle or horses. 



SAXON SHEEP. 

 We have seen specimens of the fleeces of 167 

 Saxon Sh^'ep im[)orted by Cnptain Ctiandler, in 

 the brig Samuel, from Bremen. The wool is 

 of extreme fineness and beauty, and our raanu- 

 factiircrs and farmers may well consider the 

 breed as a valuable acquisition. We understand 

 that the sheep have i»ot sufiered by the voyage, 

 although the vessel experienced much severe 

 weather. — Daily Jidv. 



CHESAPEAKE AND DELAWARE CANAL. 

 The prospect of a speedy completion of the 

 Chesapeake and Delaware canal, is very grati- 

 fying. In October last only about (300 men 

 were employed on this work, but they have 

 since been increased at a great rate, ami the to- 

 tal force now engaged on the whole line of the 

 canal is upwards of 2500. Obstacles which ap- 

 peared at first to many to be insurmountable, 

 have been overcome, or are vanishing before 

 the powerful exertions of the present spirited 

 contmctors and their labourers. — Del. pea. 



