310 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 31, 1841. 



an1> horticultural rkgister. 

 Boston, Wedkesday, March 31, 1841. 



LUCIiRNE. 



In answer lo our correspiind who reciriily inquired 

 whether it would do to sow lu<i rne brrjadcast, we riiply 

 ihat we have been consulting nijthorities upon the enb- 

 ject, and have inferred Iriim our reading that it may be 

 well to sow in drills and weed the cro|i, yet that this 

 method is not essential. Sever.il writers disiinetly re- 

 commend sowing broadcast ; and we trust tliat our cor. 

 respondent will not abandon his purpose to try this 

 grass. We have never cultivated ir, and cannot there- 

 fore say any thing in reference to it excepting in the 

 words of others : — the following is from the editor 

 of the New England Farmer, (Mr Fessei den,) May 1, 

 1833 : 



"LucEBSE. Columella estimated this plant as the 

 choicest of all n^dder because it lasted many years, and 

 bore being cut down four, five or six limes a year. It 

 enriches, he says, the land on which it grows, fattens 

 the catile fed with it, and is often a remedy for sick cat- 

 tle. Columella's observatlims were adapted to the cli- 

 mate of Italy, and lucerne is not so productive in colder 

 countries. Loudon says, though lucerne was so much 

 esteemed by tiie ancients, and has been long cultivated 

 10 advantage in Frame and Switzerl md, it has yet 

 found no great reception in England. If any good rea- 

 gon can be given for this, it is, that lucerne is a less 

 hardy plant than red clover, ri quires three or four years 

 before it comes to its full growth, and it is for these and 

 other reasons, ill adapled to enter into general rotations. 

 " The soil for lucerne must be dry, and inclining to 

 sand with a subsoil not inferior to the surlace ; unless 

 the subsoil be good and deep it is not fit for lucerne. 

 The ploughing should be deep and thorough, and Eng- 

 lish writers advise to bury a coat of manure a foot below 

 the surface. Such is the practice in (juernsey, where 

 lucerne is highly estimated. 



" Capt J. Swett, of Roxbury, hascultivated this grass 

 to good advantage. In Seplemher, 1831, this gentleman 

 sent a sample lo the Mass. Hor. Soc. and observed, 

 * This trrass is of the fnurlh crop this seafon, and ac- 

 cording to my estimate has produced at the rate of about 

 3000 lbs j)er acre, each crop, when cut and dried, i 

 have raised this grass the \ml three years, and find that 

 my horses and cows like it much. 1 prepare my land 

 in the following manner : have it ploughed twice, har- 

 rowed well, and all the weeds and rubbish taken from 

 the land, then sow about 30 lbs. of seeds to the acre.' 

 " The quantity of seed made use of in Europe is from 

 15 to 20 lbs. to an acre, though Mr Swetl thinks more 

 woul I be better. The Hon. Robert R. Livingstone has 

 cullivaied lucerne with much success. He advises, as 

 the result of his experiments, I Never lo sow on ground 

 which is not perfectly pulverized ; 2. Not to sow till 

 the ground has a' quired o degree of warmth friendly to 

 vegetation, viz in May ; 3. To sow w th no crop that 

 will probably lodge ; 4 If sown with buckwheat, to ap- 

 ply no gypsum or other manure till the wheat is olT ; 5. 

 If the qii inlity sown is small and the farmer can afford 

 to lose a crop to give the ground one turn in the au- 

 tumn, another in April, harrowing fine, and a third the 

 beginning of May, and then if the weather he mild and 

 warm, sow, if the ground be in [)erfrcl tilth ; otherwise 

 give it another ploughing 



*' When lucerne turns yellow it should be mowed, 

 and the plants will come up free from diseagi-." 



SPRING WORK. 



We believe that the fertility of mtisl of our soils is 

 very materially affected by fiithfully preparing thetn 

 for the recepiion of the crop. The more we stir and 

 pulverize them in ihe sp ing, the more productive they 

 will prove. This is the general rule. There maybe 

 exceptions. But the rule and not the exceptions, must 

 be made the basis of reasoning and advice. Some hinis 

 as to the way in which the worhing of the soil may add 

 to its fertility, will, perhaps, be acceptable to our readers. 

 Particles of e^irlh, or panicles of earth and manure, 

 that have been in close contact i\ ith each other for a 

 year, have e.xerted nearly all the chemical action upon 

 each other that they are eatiable of furnishinjr. So long 

 as they remain together lliey will change but slowly. 

 But if you break-up th- soil thori ughly,ciush the lumps, 

 and stir the whole mass well, then new particles are 

 brouehi together, to exert new chemical actions upon 

 each other; and to change each other into food for 

 plants. Furthermore, such treitmenl of the soil, pre- 

 pares it to receive in all parts the action of water, iiir 

 and warmth. If spots are left unploughed, the rains 

 will work ofFfrom these sidewise through the softer 

 spots that have been ploughed ; and in ihe hard places 

 neither air nor war nth can work freely. These impor- 

 tant agents in carrying on the processes of vegetation 

 are therefoie less availaiile in a hard and lumply field, 

 than in one that is mellow and well pulverized. 



From these positions, it must be inferred that we re- 

 commend, faithful ploughing, rolling and harrowing. 

 We request farmers to ask themselves, whether in their 

 haste to dispatch their spring work, they do not often 

 suffer themselves to put in a crop before tiicy have pre- 

 pared the soil as well as good and profitable husbandry 

 requires. When ploughing the land for spring grains, 

 if you take so wide a furrow as lo leave a part of the 

 soil unturned, or if when the plough is thrown out by 

 cornstalks or a stone, you fail lo *■ back up '' and go over 

 the unploughed space again, then we believe that you 

 do not lake the most proJitabU course. Let the ground 

 be well ploughed. Then, if our advice be taken, the 

 roller will be apjilied on all soils that havo (enacity 

 enough to be at all lumpy. Break down the lumps or 

 confine them by using the roller, and then a well 

 loaded harrow will do its work of pulverising to very 

 great advantage. It is well lo harrow both w.iys. A 

 double harrowing and a subsequent rolling will ordina- 

 rily cover the seed sufficifntly. The roller is apparent- 

 ly a very important implement, which should come inio 

 more general use. It gives to the lands a very smooth 

 surface, it facilitates the germination of seed by bring- 

 ing them into close contact with the soil, and in the 

 heat ofsumini r it is believed to be very serviceable lo 

 the young grass that had been sown among the grains. 

 A farmer in Wenham, where most of the stubbles were 

 killed the last summer, informed us a lew days since, 

 that he apparently saved his by having rolled his ground 

 in the spring. 



We believe it to be good economy in this vicinity, to 

 sow hay seed with grain in all cases, whether one in- 

 tends to lay the land down or not. The growth of do 

 ver is worth for feed in the autumn and for manure to 

 the land the following season, more than the cost of 

 seed. 



Our original remarks i;i most cases are suggested by 

 our observations upon a particular farm, and in this 

 neighborhood. Of <;ourse they must not be understood 

 as designed fur universal applicatinii. Each reader 

 mtisl look at ihe peculiarities of his own climate and 

 soil, before he can properly judge whether our advice is 

 suited lo his v^ ants. 



There is at present considerable dill'erente of opinion 



as to the comparative worih of northern and southern 

 (lover. We doubt not that a larger crop of northern 

 than cf southern can he obtained the first year ; but 

 we have as liltle doubt that where the southern has 

 been sown with other grasses, that the second and 

 third crops of Lay will be larger than where the 

 northern was raised. We have not facts enough with- 

 in our own observation to enable us lo give a preference 

 to the one over the other in point oJ eventual prtdit, — 

 There may be dilhcolty the present season in obtaining 

 northern seed, for much of that which comes from the 

 North, is suppused to have been carried there from the 

 South. Ifthefirmers should find themselves furnish- 

 ed with southern when they have asked for northern, 

 we trust that they will not forget this suspicion, and, 

 will not he hasty in blaming the seedsmen of this 

 vicinity, who do the best they can to obtain northern, 

 and yet are fearful that they may be imposed upon. 



TOWN AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



On Wednesday of last week we had the pleasure of 

 visiting a few farmers in Alth boro', who have formed 

 an association for the purpose of increasing their knowl- 

 edge of agriculture. They hold monthly meetings for 

 discus-ion, and are collecting a library. Such associa- 

 tions will necessarily tend lo make this importanl pur- 

 suit more Intel ectnal and interesiing. They have cin- 

 menced a good work, and we trust that the inhabilanls 

 of other towns will copy their example. On the day 

 above mentioned we, at their request, addressed the 

 people of the place upon a few of the common, every- 

 day matters of husbandry, and were sorry to be obliged 

 lo quit them al ruptly ; at another time we will gladly 

 tell them what the cars would not wail for us lo say 

 then. 



The light soils of thatregion would be vastly improved 

 by copious dressings from their abundant bog holes 

 and wet meadows. These meadows, many of them, 

 may be very easily rendered vastly more productive 

 than ihe surrounding uplands. When the farmers there 

 turn their attention more to the draining and cultivating 

 of their wet lands, they \^ill find the labor more produc- 

 tive tlian that which is bestowed upon such soil as they 

 are accustomed lo culiivaie. 



OUR CONFFE.SSION. 

 Conscience has been troubling us for some weeks in 

 relation lo ii quiries proposed by a correspondent near 

 Fall River, who was confined lo his bed by a fractured 

 limb. When his letter was received, we felt it a duty 

 to reply soon. But his inquiry whether the waste from 

 a calico printing esUblishinent might be rendered ser-« 

 viceable as a manure, we were unable lo answer at once ; 

 we hojred by thking tirne to learn something upon the 

 subject lh;it might enable us to give a definite answer; 

 but we have gaineil nothing by the delay. Our conjeC' 

 tare is that too much copjreias and other substances in- 

 jurious to vegetation are contained in this waste, and that 

 It will be expensive fitting it for manure. A small 

 quanliiy might be iried by using lime freely with it. — 

 Our cfinfession must go still farther. We are soiry lo 

 say, but must say, that we have lost the communication 

 and do not distinctly recollect the other inquiries pro- 

 posed. If our eoriespondent will favor us ag.iin, we 

 will endeavor so to use him that he shall have less cause 

 of complarnt than he has at present. 



We hi ve received the Premium List of the Rhode Is- 

 land Society frtr the Encouiagement of Domestic Indus- 

 try, for US41, and will give it an early insertion. I'iie 

 Society's a mual Cattle Show, &c. will take place at 

 Pawluxet,on th" Gth of October next. 



