1839] 



FARMERS* REGISTER. 



391 



Farmer, discriminating between the dificrcnl 

 kinds of clover as also the timothy, and herds 

 •rrass ; the two hitter have boen po lonp; cuhlva- 

 ted, as to be as I had supposed sufficiently known, 

 but have Ihund them several limes spoken of in 

 the Farmer as the same, and lately by our re- 

 spected atrriculturist, T. PickerinL*. 



The timothy grass, with a cat tail head, as 

 some term it, is so general and well known that 

 I should suppose it scarcel}' needs liirlher descrip- 

 tion, only the common hay of livery stables aiid 

 taverns through the middle states. 



The herds grass is frequently sown and mixed 

 Avith the former in hay, supposed by many to 

 be equally good ; they ripen much about the same 

 time, the top or seed spreads into numerous 

 branches, resembling an oat's head, only more nu- 

 merous in branches, with an abundance of" seed, 

 rising on good soils to 2 and 3 feet in heightli, anci 

 is olien termed red top ; as one kind that is gene- 

 rally cultivated is of a red cast, and when in bloom 

 gives it a remarkable red hue, and this kind vir- 

 tually the same, but void of this red appearance 

 olherwaySj in every respect the same, as l"ar as I 

 have been able to discover;* as the Ibrmer, they 

 are both sown in low grounds, and when first in- 

 troduced bore a high character on account of the 

 advantage of thriving in wet drowned lands bet- 

 ter than timothy or any other grass. 



This circumstance gave the herds grass a re- 

 commendation beyond its real merits — it filled the 

 soil whereon it grew with numerous fibrous 

 roofs, so as to make wet grounds more passable 

 with teams in collecting the product of such lands, 

 and at the same time produced a better substitute 

 for the product of those soils, that were loo wet 

 for other valuable grasses; by this means it was 

 propagated until the seed being transplanted with 

 hay on to high ground, the disadvantages then 

 began to appear ; the numerous roots as before 

 mentioned, would take possession of the soil to 

 the exclusion of every other kind, and every pro- 

 duct of a better quality must give way fo the 

 strong spreading fibrous roots of the herds grass, 

 seeding so abuntlantly as to predominate ; and the 

 plough so efficacious to destroy every oiher kind 

 is ineffectual as it regards this, without the aid of 

 very dry seasons, and even then it is ineffectual to 

 entirely destroy it; as the fence side and road 

 sides, afford seed enough to introduce it again 

 into the fields. 



The excessive predominance of roof is olijcc- 

 tionable on all high lands, as it lessens the pro- 

 duct of the top by the soil becoming so boimd 

 with the abundance of roots, as to make it a di- 

 minutive production after a few years, and the 

 quality not equal to many other grasses. 



The soil becomes parched with drough.t in hot 

 seasons, under a crop of this or any other that 

 fills the surface with such a multiplicity of fibrous 

 roots; the same remark is applicable lo (he timo- 

 thy grass, though not so excessive in roots, yet a 

 piece of land under eilherof those, when ploughed 

 in dry weather, is remarkably exhausted of its 

 moisture, when compared with the same kind of 

 soil under a crop of eiiher of the clovers or ripple 

 grass, under similar circumstances in every other 

 respect. 



Far 



Therefore usually called white fop. — Edit, .'ini 



Although it ousht to be observed, that those 

 former described thirsty exhausters arc very de- 

 ficient in their succulent am! nutritive qualities, 

 when compared with several kinds less ihir.-ty for 

 humidity of soil, and abundaiilly more juicy in 

 their constitution, which, from my observation, I 

 am ready to believe furnislies a richer food both 

 green and dry ; but what is remarkable is their re- 

 quiring less from the soil, (I am fully convinced,) 

 they must receive from other somxes, consequently 

 requisition to a greater amount must be made 

 from the surrounding atnios(ihcre ; being less in 

 their demand lor moisture of soil, and yet retain- 

 ing so much sap through the dry season, a time 

 when the juices are matured for preservation, ap- 

 pears to me ample proof of furnishing a richer 

 food, when preserved in this state. 



The herds grass, therefore, being adapted to wet 

 soils, cannot be of the first quality for hay. 



It being a well ascertained fact that liigh lands, 

 from grasses calculated for such situations, judi- 

 ciously selected, produces the most nutritive pro- 

 vender for cattle cither green or dry, but more 

 readily discovered in a dry state, when preserved 

 at the crisis of perfection. 



Thy friend, 



Calkb Kirk. 



ON RECLAIBIED MEADOWS. 



From tlie Essex (Mass.) Agricultural Society's Transactions. 



In submitting their report, for the current year, 

 the committee have great pleasure in remarking 

 that they have reason to believe that there is an 

 increasing attention paid to these improvements. 



The number and length of the statements that 

 have been furnished to the committee, and which 

 are annexed, seem to render it proper that they 

 should abstain from a report any more detailed 

 than is absolutely necesse.iy. 



They have viewed the premises described in the 

 several statements, and have examined with atten- 

 tion the claims made lor the improvements. 



They award the first premium of twenty dollars 

 to Timothy H. Brown, of Saugus, and the second 

 of ten dollars, to William Osborn, Jr. of Salem, for 

 his land in Saugus. For the Committee, 



N. W. Hazein. 



N. W. Hazek, 1 



Amos Sheldon, ! ri -vj 



Asa 1. Newhall, | 



Daniel, Putxa:m, J 



Timoihv TI. Brmon''s staiemenl. 



To tlic Committee on tlie Improvfiiient of ji 

 Wet Meadow and t-v.ani;) Lands : ) 



Gentlemen — The improvement that i stdjmit fo 

 your examination has been made upon between 

 five and six acres ol swamp land, situate in the 

 town of Saugus. The mud or soil varies from two 

 to twelve feel in deplh. Two years ago, it was so 

 thickly covered with briars and bushes, that a dog 

 would have found diiliculty in passing through it. 

 These bushes I mowed and burnt on the ground. 

 There were so many slumps and logs that ii was 

 impossible to plough : fo I roiiMiienred cutting the 

 surface into squares about fifteen inches each way, 



