FARMERS ' MISCELLA NY . 273 



ground by getting the start of other grass, provided the seeding 

 j was thick enough. If not, it seeds thicker the next fall, clover 

 being on the increase, and thus it gets possession of the ground 

 partially smothering other grass, and killing the 'moss. The 

 jland becomes completely renovated, but what becomes of the 

 clover ? The year it gets possession, there is naturally a great 

 deal of seed grown in the fall, which scatters over the ground in 

 great profusion ; it comes up the next spring, but circumstances 

 are now very different, there being a full growth of other grass, 

 the young clover is nearly all smothered in turn. The old clover 

 I dies and the soil is further ameliorated by its roots, and timothy, 

 red-top, and white clover take possession, in a rejuvenescent 

 state, young clover is more or less killed until the timothy and 

 red top dwindles again ; and thus by proper management is clover 

 imade the agent of the farmer in fertilizing the soil, and increasing 

 his crops, without the aid of manuring, or ploughing, vegetable 

 matter accumulates on the surface, the soil becomes more open 

 land friable and pervious to air, heat, and moisture, and this is all 

 done for a soil that is naturally wet and heavy without manure. 

 But these changes of grass are not periodical. 



The shortest that can be made are once in three years a crop of 

 clover, but they are generally irregular, owing to the vicissitudes 

 iof seasons, affecting the young clover for good or ill. 

 ! There are many who suppose it necessary to leave the second 

 growth of grass undisturbed, to rot on the ground, in order to 

 preserve the fertility and maintain the productiveness of old 

 meadows in grass, where top-dressing with manure is not resorted 

 to. But such management is not only unnecessary, but oftentimes 

 extremely hurtful, and the injury is proportioned to the amount left 

 antrodden and unfed. If the amount left standing, or laying loose 

 apon the surface be considerable, it, in the first place, makes a harbor 

 'or mice, which will, under cover of the old grass, intersect 

 jJie surface of the land with paths innumerable, from which they 

 liut all the grass that comes in their way, more especially the 

 Towns of the clover plants of which they seem especially fond. 



In the second place, the loose covering of old grass seems to op- 

 :rate to shade and smother the young grass in the spring, that the 

 oung mice may have left, more especially the young timothy, 

 nd the result is that a meagre crop of what is here called spear 



